Day and Night
by Hai-Akatsuki
Summary: She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully. AH/AU. Gang violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning:** Rated M (not this chapter, but soon enough)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"Mm...you smell like yummy cookies."_

* * *

Sakura just started her first day of her sophomore year in college. She was pretty nervous even though her best friends, Naruto and Sasuke were there.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! There's nothing to be nervous about!" Naruto exclaimed, giving her a big thumbs up. He grinned with his white teeth, looking at her with his bright blue eyes as some of his blonde hair fell over them.

"I know but I guess I'm just worried about what kind of teachers I'll have." Sakura bit her lip anxiously, glancing at Sasuke.

Sasuke saw her looking hopefully at him with her green eyes for words of reassurance. He blinked at her once with his black eyes. He sighed inwardly but he placated her by simply saying, "Stop worrying."

Now that Sakura felt assured by both her friends, she relaxed. After all, it was going to be a calm year, right?

Last night, she was panicking in her room, with Naruto and Sasuke sitting on her bed. She was talking so fast and all they caught was, "School, nervous, I don't know really know why!" Sasuke had grabbed her wrist, telling her to calm down. Naruto also smiled at her, saying that nothing was going to happen, not with them around. At times like these, she really cherished her friends.

It was almost time to go to class and the three of them parted ways, with Naruto's farewell of "Bye Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme!", Sasuke's "Hn" and Sakura's "Bye guys! Good luck!"

Sakura took out her class schedule, wanting to make sure she had the class number memorized in her head correctly. _Okay, Room 517. You can do this, Sakura. _Sakura didn't even know why she felt uneasy. She already went through the process of meeting new teachers and classmates. So why did it feel weird?

As she was walking with her head down, a person sprinting down the hall crashed into her. Sakura's schedule flew out of her hands and they tumbled to the floor. Sakura groaned at the impact when her head hit the ground. She heard someone speaking but couldn't hear what they were exactly saying.

The next thing she knew, she was being picked up and she panicked."Put me down, I have a class to get to!"

Sakura heard a deep and soothing male voice. "I have to take you to the infirmary to make sure you aren't injured due to my carelessness."

"Ugh...alright." Sakura was not in the mood to argue and her head was pounding. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something else. Her nose picked up on the smell of chocolate cookies on the person's shirt. "Mm...you smell like yummy cookies," she murmured.

He chuckled, sending soft vibrations through her body. She supposed she liked the feeling of that. "I did eat some cookies earlier so that must be why," he admitted. Sakura was going to answer him but she heard someone say, "Oh my! Is she okay?"

The person replied, with uncertainty but authority lacing his tone. "I foolishly ran into her and her head was hit. I am not sure if she has a concussion."

"Alright sweetie, I'll take it from here unless you would like to stay," the nurse -Sakura assumed she was one by her question earlier- said, a little too flirtatiously.

"I will be back for her later," Sakura heard him say monotonously.

"Aw, alright then..." There was disappointment in her voice and Sakura inwardly laughed at her. _What a slut, ne? He must be really hot if she wanted him, _Sakura thought to herself.

In the next few seconds, she felt herself being placed on a soft bed. She still hadn't opened her eyes and really didn't want to see the person's face yet. It would ruin the majestic moment she felt after being carried to the infirmary like a princess. Sakura felt lips by her ear, her face growing hot. "See you later, Princess." He whispered huskily and walked out of the room.

When the pink-haired girl was sure he was gone, she opened her eyes. The nurse did not see what just happened as she was washing her hands and Sakura sighed in relief. She did not want to get on someone's bad side today, especially if this person had the power to kill her somehow...with needles or something.

The nurse faced to turn her, smiling. "Sweetheart, do you know where you are?"

"The infirmary, right? I don't have memory loss if that's what you're thinking..." Sakura smiled weakly.

"Well hun, I have to make sure. I'll have to check your eyes, okay?" The pinkette nodded her head. She wanted to get this over and done with, so she could head off to class. Sakura sat up quickly, her eyes widening. Oh no, class! She supposed she was going to be late and groaned. T

The medic looked over at her in concern, with a small flashlight in her hand. "Are you alright hun?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to be late for the first day of class..." Sakura trailed off and sighed.

The nurse smiled warmly saying, "No need to worry, they'll just be speaking about the basics today. I can always give you a note, if you'd like. Now let me have a look at your eyes, dear."

After the nurse finished with Sakura's eye-check up, she concluded that Sakura did not have a concussion but a possible minor headache could occur. She all but demanded the blossom-haired girl to lie back down for thirty minutes or so. Sakura complied as she closed her eyes, wondering how her best friends were faring in class. Naruto would probably charm everyone in class or freak them out by his overexcited tendencies. Sasuke would just sit there annoyed as he unwantingly attracted fangirls to him.

She already missed them and wanted to talk to them. They were her everything after what happened in the past year. She let out a small smile, knowing she could count on them whenever something happened. Sakura heard someone come into the room, standing beside her. She opened her eyes on reflex, and looked up.

"Hello, Princess."

* * *

A/N: I couldn't get this out of my mind and I had to write this. I know this is a short chapter, but I wanted to end it here. Honestly, I'm not sure if I should do Sakura with multiple people, because I ultimately want her to end up with one person. Well in the beginning it's sort of going to be MultiSaku. But please let me know who you think should Sakura be paired up with? :) (I'll also try writing some sexy scenes. hinthintwinkwink).

-Kai


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning:** Rated M (not this chapter, but soon enough)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"Don't get too ahead of yourself now, Princess."_

* * *

Short recap:

She already missed them and wanted to talk to them. They were her everything after what happened in the past year. She let out a small smile, knowing she could count on them whenever something happened. Sakura heard someone come into the room, standing beside her. She opened her eyes on reflex, and looked up.

"Hello, Princess."

End recap.

Sakura's mouth fell open. Her previous assumption was correct on the fact that he was really good-looking. He was wearing black, loose jeans that seemed to hung low on his hips with a dark purple collared shirt. His pumpkin-orange hair with unique, purple-ringed eyes that seemed bright compared to his shirt. She had never seen such an odd combination on someone before, but who was she to judge if she, herself had pink hair and green eyes?

She felt insignificant. Compared to her, she looked boring. Although with colorful hair and eyes, her clothes seemed simple. She was just wearing a white cardigan over a maroon red shirt and black shorts.

To top it all off, he had piercings on his nose, lips and ears. The roseate had a thing for piercings and tattoos. Anything that seemed "bad boy". She didn't know why that was but she supposed it was because it screamed 'dangerous' and she was a danger magnet.

_Haha, danger magnet, get it? Piercings on his face and all..._ Sakura laughed inwardly at her poor attempt of a pun. Secretly, she wondered if he had any tattoos as well.

Apparently she took too long to respond, as the mysterious man shot her a small smirk and said, "Cat got your tongue, Princess?"

She glared defensively at him. Even though he was quite handsome, he came off a bit arrogant. Sakura snapped at him. "No. Why are you even here?"

"If you recall, I told you that I would be back for you." His deep voice resonated in Sakura's ears, making her shiver pleasantly. Unfortunately, he saw the effect that he had on her.

"I am Pein," he smoothly introduced himself, his smirk widening.

"Sakura," she grumbled. A realization came to her and she wanted to ask him something. "Why do you call me Princess? That's kind of weird, isn't it..." She trailed off, looking curiously at him.

"You look like one. Your features are exotic and it's hard to forget someone with a face like yours," he stated evenly. Sakura wondered how he said that with no blush evident on his face. However, she was the one who was blushing at his cryptic compliment. She couldn't help but think there was something more to his words.

Not wanting to dwell on it anymore, she was ready to go back to class. She hopped off the bed too fast, causing blood to rush to her head. Feeling dizzy she swayed and felt an arm wrap around her waist.

"Let me assist you to class, Princess." His voice was quiet but commanding with no room for her to object.

She answered him unsurely, "Okay, fine. It's in Room 519 I think...or was it 520? I forgot already. Argh."

"Ah, yes. I believe one of my colleagues are attending that class as well."

She sagged against him, putting her whole weight on him. Sakura discretely sniffed his shirt, remembering how it smelled like cookies earlier. Hey, might as well enjoy the moment right? Her head still hurt, so she could use that as a "legit excuse" if he asked what she was doing.

Pein chuckled at her and said lowly, "If you wanted me to carry you like before, Princess, all you had to do was ask." In one quick sweep before Sakura could protest, she was being carried in his arms again, princess-style.

"H-hey! I just wanted to lean on you for a second, you didn't have to carry me..." Sakura squirmed, trying to get out of his hold.

However Pein saw what she was trying to do and tightened his grip on her. "Wouldn't want you to fall now, would we?"

Sakura crossed her arms, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to let go. "Whatever. I have a feeling you're the type that wants everything to go his way."

Sakura felt his body tense as he replied stiffly, "Don't get too ahead of yourself now, Princess." They both fell silent as they -well, Pein- walked.

A few minutes later, he stopped abruptly and set her on the ground a little too quickly as Sakura stumbled, trying to find the balance on her feet. She was going to complain to him about doing that, but she realized they were standing in front of the lecture hall.

She stood awkwardly, shuffling her feet. "Sorry about that, I spoke out of line."

Pein gave a short nod, his strange, purple eyes giving her this weird look.

"I'll leave you to it. Princess, be careful. I hope you don't attract any more trouble, just like you did with me." His eyes turned playful, the only indication showing that he was joking around with her, but a warning lying within his words.

She scowled at him and said with a bite in her tone, "I'll be just fine, thank you very much. You ran into me first anyways. Bye, have a nice day."

Not waiting for a response, she opened the door to the hall, seeing hundreds of students sitting in their seats. She quietly slipped into one of the seats closest to her, not noticing or acknowledging the person next to her.

Sakura listened to what her biology professor was saying, relieved that all he was doing was going over the syllabus. She zoned out, thinking about the mysterious man she met. He was a bit rude near the end, releasing her like that. But then again, she said something that seemed to make him mad, for some odd reason. _Really bi-polar, sheesh. But he was really hot and somewhat gentlemanly. _Sakura's cheeks were turning pink.

Someone next to her cleared their throat, causing her to look at the person.

His long, raven-black hair was in a ponytail and his black eyes stared at her. His features were sharp and masculine. Although he had 2 diagonal lines on his cheeks, it didn't take away his beauty. He looked a little familiar to her but she brushed it off.

Okay, were all the boys this hot and bad-ass looking here? She didn't ever recall her freshman year seeing them. Actually, she barely remembered anything considering the tragedy that struck earlier this year. Her eyes watered but she refused to cry. Not now, at least.

Luckily, the person distracted her with what he said. "Hello, I see you met my leader. I saw you with him a few minutes ago," he said quietly.

She looked at him oddly and whispered, "Leader?"

"Yes, leader." He responded cryptically. Changing the subject, he introduced himself, holding his hand out. "I apologize for saying something strange instead of telling you my name. I am Itachi."

Sakura smiled at him. _Wow, nice manners too!_ "I'm Sakura, it's nice to meet you." As she said her name, she was going to shake his hand, thinking that was what he wanted in return. Instead, he took her hand and kissed the back of it, his lips lingering for a few seconds before looking at her with smoldering eyes.

She let out a small gasp, not expecting the action. It was so...chivalrous. Her heart started to beat fast as blood rushed to her cheeks. She took her hand back quickly, looking away from him, not saying anything as she bit her lip nervously.

He spoke huskily, "I apologize again if I seemed to overstep your boundaries."

"It's fine, I just didn't expect it," Sakura replied instantly as her cheeks burned.

He gave her a brisk nod-what is it with these people nodding at her? Seriously.

"Alright, I'm going to let you guys out super early even though I'm not supposed to. Have a great day! Now scram, kiddies!" The professor said cheerily.

Sakura wondered what his name was, considering she wasn't the one who signed up for the classes (Sasuke did, surprisingly) nor did she read the syllabus that was uploaded online.

"Asuma." Sakura jumped from how close Itachi was, staring intently at her.

"What?" She tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face.

Itachi smirked knowingly and answered, "You asked what the professor's name was."

Sakura couldn't help but stutter. "O-oh. I didn't know I said that aloud."

"Anyways," Sakura said hurriedly, "Do you have any more classes for the day?"

"Is this an underhanded way of trying to get me to spend time with you?" A small smile played on his lips, his eyes full of mirth.

Sakura's mouth dropped open and said indignantly. "W-what are you trying to say?! All I asked was if you had any other classes."

"Sakura-san, I was merely teasing you," Itachi coolly said.

She rolled her eyes, fed up with not one, but two arrogant men today. "Whatever. I'm going to find my friends. Nice meeting you."

"I'll go with you." Itachi stated nonchalantly.

"No you won't."

"Why not?"

"Because my friends wouldn't like you."

"Ah, don't be too sure, Sakura-san." Itachi shot her an infuriatingly sexy smile.

She got up from her seat, storming out of the classroom with Itachi walking calmly, following her.

Sakura ignored Itachi, taking out her phone. She texted Sasuke and Naruto.

To: Sasukekun, Narutokun

_Are you guys out of class yet? _

A few seconds later, Naruto sent a text that said, _Sakura-chan meet us in frnt of uni. _

When Sakura read the text, she made her way to the elevator. She forgot that Itachi was still trailing after her, Kami knows why. When she got in the lift, she pressed '1' and saw he stepped in after her.

The pinkette glared at him. "Why are you following me still?"

"I told you, I was going to meet your friends," Itachi said indifferently.

She crossed her arms, not replying back to him. She wished the elevator would hurry up already. Why was it going so slow anyways? She started to repeatedly press on the button that lead to the first floor.

"Abusing that button will do your pretty hand no good," Itachi spoke, a teasing tone in his voice.

Ugh, did he have to be a smooth talker? She settled to looking at the red numbers that showed the floor number as it went down. The elevator was now on the first floor.

_Ding! _Sakura was ready to leave the elevator but the doors didn't open.

Thinking she needed to push the button that opened the doors, she did. But nothing happened.

Sakura started hitting the button angrily. Up until this point, Itachi was staring at her amusedly. "Sakura-san, I believe we're stuck here...together."

"Oh, hell no!"

* * *

A/N: A little bit longer than the previous chapter. Hope you enjoyed. What's going to happen next? :D Muahahaha. Btw, Sasori...MIGHT be off-limits, BUT WE'LL SEE. ;)

-Kai


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M (not this chapter, but soon enough)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"Stay away from Sakura."_

* * *

Short recap:

_Ding! _Sakura was ready to leave the elevator but the doors didn't open.

Thinking she needed to push the button that opened the doors, she did. But nothing happened.

Sakura started hitting the button angrily. Up until this point, Itachi was staring at her amusedly. "Sakura-san, I believe we're stuck here...together."

"Oh, hell no!"

End recap.

Sakura whirled around angrily to Itachi. Granted, he just seemed like a huge flirt to her. She couldn't help but unleash her short temper on him.

"I don't want to be stuck here with the likes of you," she said in contempt.

"The likes of me? Care to clarify that?" Itachi looked at her curiously.

She stared at him, her lips forming a thin line. Sakura slowly moved her hand closer to the alarm button and pressed it, all the while not breaking her gaze on him.

"Yes. You're one of those guys who likes to flirt with girls, get in their pants and leave them, right? Well, that's not gonna be happening with me." Inwardly, she flinched. The words couldn't help but spill out of her mouth. She was nervous around beautiful-looking guys. Someday, she really needed to control her word vomit...

"On the contrary, Sakura-san. I did not intend to make you feel that way. But let's make one thing clear: I do not sleep around. There are better things to...pursue than foolishly submitting myself to multiple women and causing a bad reputation for myself." Itachi's eyes darkened as he subtly raked over her figure.

Sakura couldn't help but feel guilty again. For the second time today, she created assumptions for others and herself. She supposed she had a habit of pushing others away and if insulting them presumptuously was the way to go, then so be it.

"Alright, fine. I guess I'm the one who owes you an apology now," she admitted. "With that being said, I'm sorry for making you seem like such a jerk when I don't really know you."

He let out a small chuckle and Sakura secretly thought his laugh was sexy. _Seriously, no warnings at all Konoha University? At least have a sign that says, "Sexy boys are attending this uni. Please prepare yourselves and be aware."_ She wondered if she was going to meet anyone else new (goodlooking) today.

"I am willing to accept your apology if you tell me a few things about yourself," Itachi smoothly said.

"Uh...me? I'm pretty boring, actually." Sakura looked down on the ground, suddenly finding her shoes more interesting.

She felt her chin lifted up by Itachi's index finger as he stared deeply into her eyes. "Somehow, I doubt that. Since it seems you are having trouble with discussing about yourself when put on the spot...if I may, ask you a few questions instead?"

She blushed, her cheeks turning a light pink. When the hell did he get so close to her?! She jerked back abruptly and shrugged at him.

Taking her shrug as a yes, he casually asked, "What is your last name?"

Sakura looked taken aback. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Why would you want to know?"

He cocked his head at her. "Ah, do you not trust me?"

She pursed her lips, thinking of a response. Whatever, it couldn't hurt right? Not like it's anything special. "It's Haruno."

"Haruno Sakura. It has a nice ring to it." He simply said. She was going to reply to him, but then he started muttering to himself. She tried to catch what he was saying but only got the words, "knew" and "report".

Sakura believed his reaction was a little weird. Wanting to stop him from acting strange, she asked his last name in return. "Itachi-san, what's yours?"

Itachi stopped speaking and looked at her, as if realizing she was still standing there.

"Forgive me for acting out of line," he calmly stated. Then he smirked as if he knew something she didn't, which irked Sakura. "It is Uchi-"

The elevator doors opened with a loud ding, distracting Sakura from hearing him speak.

Her face brightened, glad to be seeing sunlight again.

A couple of maintenance workers were waiting outside the elevator as Sakura and Itachi stepped out.

"I'm so sorry you were stuck in the elevator. Something got jammed," a worker apologized profusely.

Sakura smiled at him and waved her hand, brushing the apologies away. "It's fine, it wasn't a long wait anyways." Itachi gave a short nod at the man who was bowing repeatedly.

Sakura just remembered her friends waiting for her outside the school. Not wanting to waste anymore time she started to walk briskly.

Itachi followed her and when they reached outside, Sakura's face turned mischievous. Naruto and Sasuke weren't facing in her direction so it gave her the chance to sneak up on them.

She ran towards them wanting to jump on their backs. Her plan was a success and a failure- a success in that Naruto shrieked like a little girl but Sasuke turned around, somehow sensing someone was coming near him.

Naruto turned around to see who pounced on him and then shouted happily, "Sakura-chan!"

The roseate-haired female grinned. "Gotcha! Well, Sasuke didn't-"

"What are you doing with Itachi?" Sasuke spat out, his face turning malicious.

Sakura looked puzzled. "How do you know Itachi-san? I just met him today."

Itachi cut in their conversation, calmly answering Sakura's question directed at Sasuke. "Hello, foolish little brother."

Sakura's mouth fell open, not expecting the two to be related. She remembered asking Itachi for his last name but he was cut off. Although she was informed now, she could clearly see similarities between the two. But she had to agree with her conscience that Itachi was more mature and masculine even if he gave off a mild rebellious aura. _Sorry, Sasuke-kun!_

Sasuke sneered at his brother, his hand reaching out for Sakura's wrist. He grabbed it harshly, pulling her to him. "Stay away from Sakura."

Itachi shot a small glare at Sasuke. "You should not have grabbed her so harshly."

"It's none of your business anyways," Sasuke snarled.

Sakura decided to interrupt the two, trying to sort out her bewilderment. "What is with you two? You both are brothers, yet you guys act like you hate each other! Sasuke, I can hang out with whoever I want." She glared at her friend, snatching her wrist back.

Sasuke turned to glower at her and Sakura looked taken aback. She had never seen Sasuke look at her with this much hostility before. Naruto decided to break up the tension, by laughing boisterously. "Hahaha, let's go out for lunch guys!"

"I'm not hungry." Sasuke stalked off but not before giving a scowl to Itachi.

"Whatever. I'm not hungry either!" Sakura scowled. Her mood was now ruined due to two people who had the inability to treat each other with respect.

"Aw, c'mon Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme's just moody like that. I bet he's on his period," Naruto joked.

"No. I don't want to. I'm going to the library. Bye, Naruto." Sakura let out a frustrated breath before walking off, her anger increasing with every step.

Naruto gulped. He knew that when she dropped the '-kun', she was extremely pissed off. He took a glance at Itachi, who hadn't said a word or moved ever since Sasuke left. The blonde narrowed his eyes, taking a closer step to Itachi and said with a fake cheer coating his tone, "Remember who you're with, won't you?" Not waiting for a reply, he walked away, singing the "I Love Ramen" song.

Itachi just smirked, his eyes darting to where Sakura was heading to. He made his way with full intent to see the pink-haired beauty again. He just loved getting under her skin and perhaps, getting under her bed sheets as well?

...

Sakura arrived at the library, wanting to find something good to read. She needed to blow off some steam and by getting herself immersed into a fictional world, she could calm down. She saw that the library was fairly empty except for a few people, which was no surprise considering it was the first day of class.

She decided to sit in the farthest corner, away from everybody. When she sat down, she was bombarded with thoughts of Sasuke and Itachi. Their interaction was very...dangerous? It looked like Sasuke was about to kill Itachi right on the spot. And how dare he grab her like that, as well as glare? Automatically, her hand touched the wrist he grabbed earlier. She knew that was going to leave a bruise.

Her thoughts became more violent as she thought of the ways to smack Sasuke. Completely forgetting about searching for a book, she started muttering angrily to herself. "How dare he...that idiot!...Gonna kill him..."

She felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked up. She let out a small, audible gasp when she saw who touched her. He wearing an orange mask with swirls on it with one peephole, the only telltale showing that his eye color was red. _I hope those are eye contacts, _Sakura thought.

"Hello, pretty lady! I'm Tobi!"

She stared, still stunned at the fact that this guy was wearing a mask. Seriously, couldn't you be labeled as a terrorist for wearing something like that?

He started waving his hands in front of her face, thinking she forgot about him. "Pretty lady, what's your name?"

Sakura snapped out of her trance, and cleared her throat. "Um...I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you, Tobi."

"Tobi just wanted to say hi to Sakura-chan because she looked lonely and angry!"

Sakura smiled wryly. _Another charmer, eh? Too bad I can't see his face. _She giggled at him. "Well, hi."

"Hi!" He stared intently at her, still standing beside the table.

"Um. Would you like to sit down?" She raised an eyebrow. She was starting to think he was a little peculiar. Who refers to themselves in third point of view or wears a mask? Apparently this guy...

He nodded excitedly as he got overenthusiastic at the fact that someone invited him to have a seat. His fingers fumbling with the chair, he pulled it out from under the table too quickly and tried to sit down without looking. However, he landed on the floor as he underestimated his strength with the chair.

"Pfft!" Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, wanting to burst out laughing. This guy was an idiot!

Tobi started to sniffle, his feelings hurt. "T-Tobi's bum hurts."

Sakura blinked at him and couldn't hold her guffaws in anymore. She started laughing too loud, with the other people in the room turning to glare at her as a warning to be quiet. She muffled her laughter, still thinking this guy was ridiculous. How he managed to get into university was beyond her...

"I see you met Tobi."

She looked at the direction of where the very familiar voice came from. Sakura stopped her giggling, glaring at the person. Kami, why? "Why are you stalking me? Did I somehow end up on your hit-list or something?"

Itachi chuckled. "You did leave rather abruptly. That was quite rude of you, to leave a newly-made friend behind." He continued, a smirk playing on his lips, "No, you are not on my hit-list, but perhaps you are on my to-do list..."

Sakura gasped indignantly at the veiled remark he just made. "I was right, you are an arrogant jerk!"

Itachi's smirk dropped, a serious expression taking over his face. "Sakura-san, I was merely jesting with you. I apologize for offending you."

Sakura scowled at him. "Whatever. You're always apologizing to me. Someday, you're going to run out of apologies."

"I would hope that I do not have to apologize any more after this," he easily said.

"Tobi's still on the floor! Help!"

Itachi didn't look in Tobi's direction as he stretched a hand towards the man on the ground. When he pulled Tobi up, Sakura grumbled, "So much for having peace time."

"I believe it is lunch time and you should get some nutrition in you. Although you turned Naruto down, I hope you do not reject the offer of me inviting you to eat with me," Itachi lightly said.

"Really, I'm not hun-" Sakura's stomach growled rather loudly, causing her to groan. "Fine, choose the damn place."

He let a small smile appear on his face before it disappeared. "There's a restaurant down a few blocks with finely-cooked tempura."

Sakura looked skeptically at him. "Who says finely-cooked anymore?" She shook her head, already knowing the answer. "Don't comment on that."

"Tobi wants to come too!" He folded his hands, his eye giving a pleading look.

"Tobi can come! Right?" Sakura said a little too quickly, giving Itachi a huge smile.

Itachi gave a little sigh before nodding his head.

"Yay!" Sakura clapped her hands gleefully. _Now Itachi can't get to know her!_ Sakura paused her thoughts. _Wait, what's wrong with...going on a date with him? Eh, nothing I guess. I do want to see that Pein guy again though..._

The three started to make their way to the restaurant after they exited the library. After walking down a block, Sakura decided to make conversation with Itachi as Tobi was skipping ahead of them.

"So, are you always this cocky?"

Itachi looked at her disapprovingly. "Have I not apologized to you already for-" Itachi cut himself off as his body tensed, stopping in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Sakura glanced at him, puzzled.

Itachi said in a low voice, "When Tobi says run, you run as fast as you can. Do not disregard this."

Sakura also noticed that Tobi stopped skipping as well. They were both acting bizarre. She scrunched her nose, about to question him why but didn't get a chance to, as Tobi started running towards her.

When he reached her, he pushed her in to one of the dark alleys that led somewhere else.

"Tobi, what are you doing-"

"Itachi-chan is right and Sakura-chan should listen to him, okay?" Tobi said hurriedly.

"How did you even hear what he-"

Sakura suddenly heard a loud bang and Tobi pushed her a little more strongly, making her stumble.

"Tobi says run!"

* * *

A/N: Sooo, didja like it? ^_^ A longer chapter this time. A lot of ItaSaku here, I know I know. xD BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE! Thank you for reading & reviewing!

In response to some of my reviewers: Sasori is off-limits, due to the role that I have him play later on. (YOU'LL SEE!) But unless many people REALLY want a SasorixSakura pairing, their relationship will be a little different, but still some SasoxSaku :) I do love me some Pein and Itachi, mmm. They're so hot! XD

- Kai


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for some blood, violence and swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"Princess, don't make this difficult than it already it is."_

* * *

Short recap:

Itachi said in a low voice, "When Tobi says run, you run as fast as you can. Do not disregard this."

Sakura also noticed that Tobi stopped skipping as well. They were both acting bizarre. She scrunched her nose, about to question him why but didn't get a chance to, as Tobi started running towards her.

When he reached her, he pushed her in to one of the dark alleys that led somewhere else.

"Tobi, what are you doing-"

"Itachi-chan is right and Sakura-chan should listen to him, okay?" Tobi said hurriedly.

"How did you even hear what he-"

Sakura suddenly heard a loud bang and Tobi pushed her a little more strongly, making her stumble.

"Tobi says run!"

End recap.

Sakura didn't do what Tobi (and Itachi) asked. Instead, she stayed put and wanted to know what was going on. "What's happening? Why do I have to run?" She tried to walk out of the alleyway but Tobi pushed her back, none too gently.

"Sakura-chan it's not safe here! Please run!" Tobi insisted. Not sparing another glance at her, he ran out to where Itachi was.

_Bang! Bang!_

She believed they were gunshots. She heard unintelligible yelling and cursing and stiffened, wondering if Itachi and Tobi were going to get hurt. Forgetting Tobi's advice, she wanted to see what was going on. As she took a step forward, a hand covered her mouth from behind. She was going to let out a scream and struggle but she heard a low voice.

"Do not scream, Princess."

Sakura slowly relaxed when she recognized who it was due to the nickname she was given earlier today. _Pein! He's here! _Her heart started beating fast, due to the fact that he was so close to her. She could feel his breath on her neck. The hand on her mouth loosened a little, but did not let go.

"You were unwise to not take heed of my members' advice," he said gravelly.

Sakura whispered to him, "Can you take your hand off now?"

"If you promise to be quiet, Princess."

She shook her head up and down, and he removed his grip. She turned around to him, meeting his purple-ringed eyes shyly. "Why are you here? What's going on? What do you mean by members? I don't understand..." Sakura trailed off. He looked intimidating especially with the look he was giving her right now.

He let out a small sigh, thinking of a response. "Not here, it is not safe-"

"Well, well. Who do we have here?"

Sakura turned to the new voice and saw a man with spiky, dark hair and beady eyes, smiling as if he hit the jackpot. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt, along with ripped jeans. She let out a gasp when she saw what was in his hand...A gun.

Pein gave him an aggressive look, warning him to back off.

The man ignored it and he took a step closer to them, casually pointing a gun towards their direction. "C'mon, who's that little chick ya got there Pein? Or do I have to shoot it out of ya?"

Sakura started shaking out of fear, frozen in her spot. Pein narrowed his eyes, taking a step in front of her, so that she was partially hidden behind him.

"She is nothing," Sakura heard him speak. For some reason, she felt hurt by that statement. She wanted to say something but she got the feeling Pein wanted her to keep her mouth shut.

"Then why are ya hiding her, eh? If she was a hoe, ya wouldn't care." The man looked smug. His eyes glanced in her direction, raking over her figure lecherously. She shivered and pressed her body closer to Pein.

The next thing Sakura knew, she heard a semi-loud sound and the man slumped on the floor with his eyes wide open. She saw blood seeping on the floor. Her face turned pale as she swallowed her saliva.

From her distance, it looked like he stopped breathing. She thought he was dead, until she heard him speak with difficulty. He rasped, "Ya can't...protect her...all...the time..."

Sakura couldn't see Pein's face as he was in front of her, but he had a frightening look on his face. His voice rang out deeply, "Yes, I can."

After he said those words, Sakura saw Pein raise his arm and she realized he was holding a gun. She let out a little shriek when he pulled the trigger as the bullet reached the man's chest. The white shirt that was stained with blood became a deeper red.

Sakura felt dizzy. She just saw Pein kill a man. A man! She didn't know what to do. She wanted to faint. She started gasping for air, her hand clutched to her throat. She was hyperventilating. Why was it so hard to breathe? She felt Pein touch her arm and she jerked back. "Get away from me!" She wheezed.

"Princess, don't make this difficult than it already it is. Breathe in and out, slowly." He was staring at her with- _Wait, is that concern in his eyes? _Sakura mentally shook her head. She couldn't think like that, not after what he told the man.

Nevertheless, she followed Pein's instructions. One breath, in. One breath, out. This happened a few more times before she could breathe easily again. When she gained control of her breathing, she took a few steps back. She glared at him but he looked unaffected.

"What the fuck was that? Why'd you kill him? How could you?" She shot him one question after another, the volume of her voice getting louder.

He took a step closer, the gun still in his hands. "You don't like to listen, don't you, Princess?"

"Stop calling me that, damn it! Stay away from me especially with that...that thing you have!" She shouted hysterically. She didn't want to be here. She wished she took up the offer on ramen with Naruto instead. Why did she have to meet these guys? Why?

Pein's eyes softened at her reaction. He put the gun away, safely tucked away in his leather jacket. _Wait, what? Since when was he wearing that? _Sakura thought. She was sure he didn't have that jacket on before.

"Prin-Sakura." He cleared his throat before talking again. "Please, calm down. There is an explanation for all of this."

"No! I will not calm down. I wish I never met you guys," she fiercely bit out. The moment she finished her sentence, she turned around towards the short alley that led somewhere else. Her adrenaline levels shot up as she continued running. She didn't dare to look back but after a few minutes, she was tiring already.

She didn't know where she was going. But the streets were empty and she had never been here before. Sakura was breathing heavily, not used to running quickly without doing warm-ups. She slowed her speed, chancing a glance behind her. Her mouth fell open when she saw Pein chasing after her. He had a concentrated look on his face as he was gaining speed on her.

Not to be caught by him, she sped up and tried to focus on breathing evenly. She heard quick footsteps behind her. Sakura let out a loud cry when she felt a weight on her and was about to fall on the ground.

Before she hit the pavement, she felt an arm wrapped around her waist and she was spun over, leaving her to be on top of her pursuer. She wasn't injured, no. But she was extremely embarrassed because her body landed directly on Pein.

They were both panting for air as they lied on the ground. Sakura had enough of this. It was too much excitement for her in one day and it wasn't even the good kind. She sat up and moved to get off, but the grip around her waist tightened.

She huffed, trying to get up again but only to land a little bit roughly on Pein. She heard a groan and twisted her head to glower at him. "Mind letting me go?" She tried to pry his fingers off her but it didn't work.

"Princess, if you move one more time, I will not be able to stop myself," he said huskily.

"What? Stop yourself from what?" Annoyance was shown in her tone. _Since when do men like to speak in riddles and secrets? _Sakura really didn't want anything to do with a murderer.

She tensed when she felt Pein move underneath her, only to feel lips on her ear. She felt cold metal and his hot breath as he spoke. "Stop myself from taking you right here and now." Her cheeks burned red as she stammered, "W-what are you talking about?"

He moved his legs a little and she felt him chuckle. And that was not the only thing she felt. Her face drained of color when she realized what he was implying.

"Y-you..."

"So innocent, yet so feisty." Pein chuckled again as he pressed his lips to her earlobe.

She started to struggled in his hold, wanting to get out. "Please let me go! Don't kill me! I won't tell anyone, I swear!" Sakura started crying. She hadn't cried for a long time and didn't want to cry now, but she couldn't help it after all that's happened. She also didn't want to get raped no matter how handsome this man was.

Pein stiffened and let go of her, as if all of a sudden she burned him. Sakura took the chance to get up from the ground and clumsily run away from him. She didn't get very far when she felt arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up from her tears and saw Pein looking down at her impassively. Without a word, he pulled her to his chest, standing there until Sakura's sobbing turned to sniffles.

"I'm sorry, Princess. It was not my intention to let you see what you saw today. It won't happen again," he promised.

Sakura didn't say anything and just wiped her tears on his shirt, not caring if she got her snot on it as well.

Pein took her silence to continue speaking. "I also apologize for acting that way with you. I let it slip from memory that you are...inexperienced."

Sakura didn't look at him as she angrily said, "So if I was 'experienced' then you wouldn't apologize?" She inwardly face-palmed. _Good going, you just basically told him you were a virgin._

He tensed, as if the thought of her with someone else was unacceptable. His voice coming out agitated, he said, "If you were...either way, I would have apologized. It was unacceptable of me to do something like that towards you."

Sakura pressed her face into his chest as she muttered, "Whatever."

Sakura felt a light pressure on her head before it disappeared. _Did he just kiss me on the head? _She couldn't help herself blushing.

"Princess, we are not safe here. We should go somewhere else," he murmured.

She took a step backwards from him, her eyes and nose red from crying. She probably looked like a mess but she couldn't care less. "Fine."

He gently took her hand, prepared to lead her to another place

They walked for about a block until Sakura couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Can you at least tell me why this place is dangerous?" She looked at him and secretly admired his face. She remembered the feeling of Pein's lips -and his lip piercing!- on her earlobe and lightly blushed.

Feeling her stare, he let out a small smile at her as if he knew what she was thinking about but it disappeared when he answered her question. In a serious tone, he said, "This place is filled with violence. As I said earlier, there is a reason for why this happened. However, I prefer for us to be discussing this in a secure neighborhood."

Sakura pouted. His answer wasn't much help and it seemed he was going to be tight-lipped about this until they went back to the university. Too bad she didn't get lunch yet with Itachi and Tobi. Sakura let out a small gasp and stopped, causing Pein to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Itachi-san and Tobi-san! I forgot about them!" Sakura said in a panicked voice.

Pein continued walking, tugging her along. "No need to worry, they are not injured."

"How do you know?" Sakura demanded, irked at getting pulled by him.

"They are capable of taking care of themselves," was Pein's simple reply.

Sakura rolled her eyes, exasperated at all his cryptic comments. She really wanted to pull her hair at this point. Frustrated, she exhaled angrily.

Pein stopped abruptly, causing Sakura to bump her nose into his back. She looked at his back heatedly, rubbing her nose. She was going to pop her head out from behind Pein to see what happened but she heard a familiar voice, making her freeze.

"Where do you think you're going with her?"

* * *

A/N: At this point, I'm thinking of making this a PeinxSaku (cause he is just so...OMG), but there will be other AkaSaku moments as well, just be patient and don't lose hope!

Responses for my reviewers:

**DiizGiirlJess: **I'm glad it caught your attention. :) Here's your update!

**cutehoney4: **Not as much gang action as you probably would have wanted, but all in due time :) P.S. Madara will be in this story.

**Pein's Rebel Angel:** I do have to agree that Pein does seem more appealing due to his piercings. Imagine kissing those piercings lips! XD

**rawr-san: **Woot! Yay for ItaSaku!

**SabinxTobi: **Haha, I had to. ;) She's a little kinky at times, hahaha.

Last but not least, thanks for reading & reviewing! Much love.

-Kai


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for mild swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"You didn't see shit. Just stay away from them."_

* * *

Short recap:

Sakura rolled her eyes, exasperated at all his cryptic comments. She really wanted to pull her hair at this point. Frustrated, she exhaled angrily.

Pein stopped abruptly, causing Sakura to bump her nose into his back. She looked at his back heatedly, rubbing her nose. She was going to pop her head out from behind Pein to see what happened but she heard a familiar voice, making her freeze.

"Where do you think you're going with her?"

End recap.

"I don't believe it's any of your business," Pein spoke calmly.

Sakura stepped out from behind, standing beside him instead. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Sakura's tone was abrupt and a little angry. She believed he was somewhere else fuming but apparently not, since he was in this so-called "dangerous territory" Pein dubbed earlier.

"She is always my business," Sasuke sneered, ignoring Sakura's question. His eyes darkened when they traveled to the sight of the two holding hands.

"Sakura, come here," Sasuke commanded.

Sakura gave him a look that said, "The fuck?"

"I'm not going to ask you a second time, Sakura...come here or I'll make you," he demanded.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong with you? I'm not your dog!" she shouted.

He sucked his teeth, striding over to her and snatched her free hand, jerking her forward.

She stumbled forward a few steps, only to stumble backwards a second later. She realized Pein was still holding on to her and his grip wasn't so gentle anymore.

Sasuke shot a glare at Pein and tugged her harder while Pein did the same.

Sakura had enough of this. "Okay, this is extremely annoying. Stop playing tug-of-war with me! Both of you!" She wiggled her hand out of Pein and Sasuke's grasps, staring crossly at Sasuke. "What is wrong with you? First Itachi-san and now Pein!"

Sasuke scoffed when their names were mentioned. "Really, Sakura? You use an honorific for my brother's name but not his? Are you close with him? Maybe you're fuck buddies." He bit out the last words with anger.

She looked incredulously at him. How could he accuse her of something like that? She thought he knew her better than that. However, she didn't mean to say Pein's name without a suffix...it just came out of her mouth. She really needed to control that word vomit or she'd be in deep shit all the time. "You know what, Sasuke? Don't even talk to me until you've got your shit sorted out."

"You're going to trust some guy you barely know over me?" Sasuke spat out. He was glaring hatefully at Pein, who was staying silent, letting them play out their argument.

"I didn't even say anything like that! Look...fine, let's not argue anymore. Just take me back to school," she said, defeated.

This time, Sasuke took her by the arm firmly though not as rough as before and started walking without another word.

Sakura followed obediently but not before shooting a discrete glance at Pein, who had a small smirk on his face. Baffled by his expression, she quickly directed her eyes, settling on a shabby apartment.

.

Sakura and Sasuke returned to school, with Sakura feeling famished. Looking at a clock hanging against the wall in a lobby, she noted that it was almost time for class to start. Sasuke still had his hold on her arm and his enraged aura diminished immensely they arrived back at Konoha U. Still, she didn't want to mention Pein and set him off again. She rather have food in her stomach before he went off on her.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm hungry," she announced to him. Sasuke acknowledged her with a nod, leading them to the cafeteria.

Sakura's eyes skimmed the area, not knowing what there was to eat. She had never eaten here before, and school food didn't really seem appealing to her.

"There's sushi over there, if you want," Sasuke said hesitantly.

Sakura inwardly rolled her eyes. _Oh, now you're feeling shy and scared to talk to me? Sasuke-kun...you're an ass. A duck-ass._

"Sorry for being a duck-ass," he muttered. He put his hands in his pockets, staring hard at the ground.

Sakura looked at him in surprise before realizing she said that out loud. By Accident. Again. _Whatever. He's not forgiven yet. I'm hungry and mad. I need my food already! _

She deserted Sasuke, practically running to get to the sushi bar and deciding what rolls to get. She settled on simple California rolls. After she paid for them, she went back over to Sasuke. Giving him a steely look, she warned, "After I finish eating my lunch, you're going to tell me what's going on."

He shrugged nonchalantly, not looking at her. "Fine."

.

They were sitting in an empty classroom while Sakura ate her lunch. The sushi tasted pretty good. Sakura offered Sasuke part of her lunch to which he shook his head no. "That's fine with me. All mine!" Sakura chewed happily, unaware of Sasuke's intense gaze on her. She devoured the last roll cheerfully. Her stomach was satiated and she had energy to continue for the day.

When she finished her lunch, she wiped her mouth daintily and demanded, "Now tell me why you hate your brother and Pein...san."

"Before I tell you, promise me you'll stay away from them," he said firmly.

"And before I promise you that, at least tell me why I should," Sakura shot back.

He sighed, knowing she wasn't going to make it easy for him. "They're dangerous, Sakura. They're the type of people you shouldn't get involved with."

"Fine, but only because it's you. And don't think you're off the hook for speaking like that to me earlier," she grumbled.

Sasuke's eyes lightened as soon as she agreed, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. But then his eyes narrowed as he said in disdain, "We'll start with my...brother. A few years older than me, he was someone I always looked up to; my role model. In my eyes, he could do no wrong.

"But that all changed when I was fifteen. I woke up one night, feeling thirsty. I went downstairs and instead of finding a glass of water, I found my parents' bodies lying on the floor, bloodied and dead. And you know who else was there? Itachi. He saw me standing there and all he said was, 'You're not supposed to be here.' After he said those words, he just...walked out the door, leaving me behind to clean up the mess." Sasuke stopped speaking, his eyes burning with hatred. He glanced at her but it seemed like he was looking _through_ her and not _at_ her...as if he was lost in another memory.

Sakura felt a shiver run through her when she saw him looking at her. She had never heard Sasuke talk that much in one sitting or even speak of his family. She felt ashamed of herself for calling him her best friend, when she basically knew very little about him.

Her eyes brimmed with tears and she put her hand over his, grasping it tightly. "I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun...why did you never tell me any of this? Does Naruto-kun know?"

Sasuke gave a short nod before replying. "I didn't want you to know but yes, he does."

Sakura huffed angrily. "Why does he get to know before me?! I thought we were close friends."

Sasuke seemed to have expected that question and responded quickly. "He's the dobe. Nosy as usual."

She let out a small grin and laughed. "Yeah, you're right. He's always in our business."

She took her hand back and fiddled with her fingers. She asked nervously, "So...what about Pein...san?"

"He's no good. That's all there is to it," Sasuke said monotonously.

"Sasuke, that's not fair. You said you'd tell me!" Sakura complained. She was tired of him always evading her questions. He wasn't a wordy guy and liked to keep to himself but apparently today was the day where all weird things like to happen!

His eyes flashed in anger. He snarled, "You really wanna know? It's your last chance to back away from this, to stay ignorant."

She said bitterly, "Yeah well it's a little too late to stay ignorant, isn't it? I saw him kill someone earlier." She covered her mouth with her hand, not meaning for that to slip out. _Shit. _

Sasuke's face turned dark and he snapped, "You didn't see shit. Just stay away from them." He got up from his seat, storming away.

Sakura winced when the door slammed loudly. She was taken aback by his reaction, thinking he would comfort her when he heard she witnessed a murder. She looked down at her lap and muttered to herself, "Of course he wouldn't. Instead, he's always moody and PMS-ing."

She heard the door squeak open and she looked at it hopefully, wondering if Sasuke came back to apologize or continue their "discussion". No one came in through the door and her heart sank. About a minute later, she heard sounds of paper sliding across the floor. Then, she listened to the door shutting slowly, the creaking of the old wooden door being prolonged.

Now curious and a little anxious, she walked over to the entrance of the room and found a piece of paper with huge, red and capitalized letters that warned, "Stay away from Akatsuki or else."

She was confused. Akatsuki? What is that? She pursed her lips, trying to recall if she ever heard of the word before. Nope. The 'stay away' part was highly familiar as not too long ago Sasuke used them on her as well. Was it him? He never said anything about this "Akatsuki". She couldn't know for sure, but one thing she did know was that this was a threat meant for her.

.

The next few days were uneventful. Her professors were interesting and some...unique. She made a few friends through her classes. Sakura didn't see any of the guys she met since the first day of class. This made her feel uncertain if they even attended this university at all. She wondered if that was a good thing, considering she was still shaken from Pein's crime.

She was also confused with the interactions between Sasuke and the others. He never explained why she should stay away from Pein, other than the fact that he was "dangerous". _Yeah...dangerous. Heard that word too many times by now._ Sakura sighed sadly. It was safe to say that Sasuke was avoiding her as well because Naruto didn't show up with Sasuke as he usually did whenever they were about to meet Sakura anywhere. Naruto sensed there was a rift between the two and for once, he didn't try to pry.

She barely got into arguments with her best friends and when they did, it wouldn't last long. This time, it was different.

"Sakura-chan, we should do something! It's Saturday!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You choose," she dully replied.

"Ramen stand!" Naruto shouted.

"Mhm", was all she said.

As they headed towards Naruto's favorite ramen stand, she was lost in her own thoughts, wondering if she should apologize to Sasuke. Seriously, she already promised she would stay away and then he gets mad at her again for no reason? What exactly was his problem? _Too many questions...so little answers_, she mused.

They reached the stand and took their usual seats with Naruto ordering his favorite ramen. He ordered three bowls for himself and one for Sakura. He grinned at Sakura and said, "This one's on me today, okay Sakura-chan?"

She nodded absently, half-listening to him. Her mind was racing with questions that needed to be answered and since Sasuke wasn't willing to talk to her, she had to find Pein or Itachi. Tobi was out of the question because he seemed too hyper for her taste. They would never get anything done.

She robotically ate her ramen and was almost done when she heard someone take a seat next to her and say quietly, "Hi."

Sakura knew it was Sasuke. She ignored him, wanting to give him the silent treatment as he did to her the past few days.

Sasuke let out a frustrated breath. "Sakura."

She didn't say anything, letting him feel the annoyance of being avoided.

"Sakura...I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Sorry for being...mean to you. I'm just trying to protect you," he admitted slowly.

"You damn well better be sorry!" She punched his arm and he winced from how powerful it was.

"Do you know how pissed I am at you right now?"

"Aa."

She looked at him indignantly, eyebrows raised.

"Yes..." He gritted his teeth and avoided looking her in the eyes.

"Good. Now pinky swear me that you're not gonna do that ever again." She held her pinky out and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to seal the deal.

He let out a little smirk and entwined their pinkies together and said softly, "Aa."

* * *

A/N: What did you think of this chapter? A lot of Sasuke/Sakura and some fluff in this chapter, but there's a reason for that! Also, who would you like to appear in the next chapter? I'll try to make it happen if you review. :)

Response to reviewers:

**cutehoney4: **You get a cookie for being correct! :)

**Nyx'sWings: **I'll finalize it soon enough, don't worry ^^

**Guest-san: **I'm sorry, I had to make her do that. I do see Sakura as a stubborn character as well, so another reason why she had to refuse Tobi. If you have anymore feedback, please write some. Thanks!

**angel897: **I'm glad you think so!

Thanks for reading & reviewing!

-Kai


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for mild swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"I will _never _let you go."_

* * *

Short recap:

"You damn well better be sorry!" She punched his arm and he winced from how powerful it was.

"Do you know how pissed I am at you right now?"

"Aa."

She looked at him indignantly, eyebrows raised.

"Yes..." He gritted his teeth and avoided looking her in the eyes.

"Good. Now pinky swear me that you're not gonna do that ever again." She held her pinky out and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to seal the deal.

He let out a little smirk and entwined their pinkies together and said softly, "Aa."

End recap.

.

It was Monday evening and Sakura's classes were over for the day. Earlier, she texted Sasuke and Naruto but they didn't get dismissed until another hour or so. She had time to kill. She debated on going back to the library but decided against it. She wanted to explore the university neighborhood but she never had the chance to.

She strayed away from the direction towards the particular "dangerous" side. Even if Itachi and Tobi planned to take her to a place to eat. Maybe they even planned for everything to happen...why else would they lead her there? Sakura shook her head out of her thoughts. _C'mon, Sakura. Don't think about them._

She walked for about ten minutes and ended up in the rear entrance of the school. Behind the university was a wonderful sight to see. There were many beautiful flowers; flowers that Sakura had never seen before. She noticed there was a very narrow cobblestone path that was mostly concealed. Trees surrounded the area, giving the appearance of a small forest. She felt excited. This could be some kind of mini-adventure for her!

As she passed by the flowers, she named some in her head. _Carnations, Delphinium, peonies, tulips..._She followed the path and turned a corner to her left, where it ended abruptly. There weren't as many flowers as before, but plenty of weeds and dried grass. She felt disappointed but pleasantly surprised when it was a little far from the university.

When she observed the scenery in front of her, her eyes widened in shock. She wasn't expecting any of this...at all. She quickly hid most of her body behind a tree and stuck her head out.

There was a medium-sized basketball court. It would've been empty...but she saw Pein and a few guys, whom Sakura assumed they were his friends. She hadn't seen Pein in a while and didn't want to approach him. It never ended well.

Sakura wasn't shocked that there was a semi-hidden court. No, it was the fact that these men were playing basketball in just their shorts. _Half-naked Pein...sweaty Pein. Sweet Kami, I wonder if that's how he'll look like in bed, save for the shorts_, Sakura drooled. They weren't too far from her since they chose the basketball hoop closest to the path she had taken.

"Fucking Kakuzu, you fucking cheated on that last shot!"

Sakura heard one of the guys yell at the other and they started arguing. It was a good thing they weren't looking in her direction. She stayed there long enough and didn't want to be seen so she slowly backed away.

Of course, things never go as planned for Sakura. As she carefully moved backwards, her shoes stepped on dried grass, making it crunch a little loudly. She snapped her head to the men but it seemed they didn't hear it. She sighed in relief and took another step back. This time, she stepped on a leaf. It created a more powerful sound, echoing across the court.

"Who's there?"

She flinched from the question. _Damn it, shit! Why does this have to happen to me?_ _Stupid leaf, who said you could lay there?_ she cursed.

She turned to make a run for it, until the next question stopped her.

"Princess, is that you?"

"No!" she said a little too quickly on reflex.

"I see your cute head of pink hair," Sakura heard Pein say in a teasing lilt.

She wasn't able to think of a response so she quickly ran to another tree, trying to hide her body completely.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Princess," he called out in a deep, masculine voice.

"Screw you, metalface!" She retorted. She slapped a hand over her mouth, wanting to bang her head against the bark. _Fuck you, brain and mouth..._

She heard a playful chuckle that made her feel warm all over. Taking a chance, she stuck her head out, peering in front of her. Not seeing anyone, she felt satisfied and turned around.

She bumped into a sweaty, well-developed, muscular chest. She inwardly cursed again, knowing he found her. She glanced up at him and gulped at the arrogant smirk on his face.

He leaned in and said lowly, "I knew it was you."

She shivered slightly when she felt him murmur into her ear.

_What the...is he a ninja or something? Now I can't escape...I shouldn't have ventured here. Damn it. _Sakura scowled at him. "What do you want?"

Pein hadn't moved from his position as he replied huskily, "Princess..."

She swallowed nervously. If he kept trying to flirt with her, she was not going to last...With her brain overpowering her feelings, she tried to push him away from her. He didn't budge, as she expected. _Oh Kami, I touched his chest! That's kinda hot though..._

As if he knew what she was thinking, he gazed at her intensely, letting his tongue dart out slowly and lick his top lip. Her eyes glazed over and followed the movement, entranced by his mouth.

He dipped his head closer with his eyes still on her. Sakura kept her eyes on his lips as they came closer to hers. She could feel his warm breath and she was pretty sure he could feel her heavy breaths.

At this point, she was trying to keep it cool and not hyperventilate. _C'mon, just a little more and we'll get to kiss a bad boy! And he's almost naked! _Her inner fan girl was squealing.

"Boss, you coming back or what, yeah?"

And just like that, the moment was broken. Sakura blinked and tried to get ahold of herself. She moved to the side away from him, trying hard not to blush.

Pein ran his hand through his orange hair, letting out a frustrated grunt.

"One minute," he called out.

He faced Sakura and cleared his throat to draw her attention. She looked at him and almost gasped. She saw the clear desire and want in his eyes and it made her feel flattered.

"Would you give me the honor of escorting you, Princess?"

She stared at him suspiciously. "Where?"

"Back to the basketball court, of course," he sounded amused.

"Why?"

"So you can play basketball with me," he smirked.

Sakura's mouth dropped open, gaping like a fish on land. She sputtered, "W-what? No, I can't play basketball!"

"Don't worry, you have me, Princess," Pein winked at her.

She huffed, seeing no way out. "Fine, let's go then."

"Wait." He moved to block her, extending his arm for her to take.

She shot him a look but he simply tilted his head, waiting. She slowly gipped his arm, feeling the strong muscles. She tried to keep her mouth shut, she really did. But she couldn't help what came out of her mouth next. "Do you take steroids?"

She tried to backtrack, stuttering. "I-I mean, what I mean to say is..."

He cut her off with a chuckle. "No, Princess. My muscles are very much real. I do have to stay in shape in order to protect you."

Her cheeks flushed pink at the cheesy line and she rolled her eyes. "Right, protect me. You just met me last week."

He didn't say anything but grunted, not bothering to look at her. He started walking and led the way back to the court although it was a short walk.

Sakura saw the men she previously had seen before. They were sitting on the benches, drinking from water bottles.

Pein was heading for them and she hesitated. "Are you sure I should meet your friends?"

"Of course," he said easily.

She grumbled in her head, _Why does he always need to have things go his way? It's always what he wants, he gets. _

The pair reached the three men relaxing on the seats. They stared curiously at Sakura and promptly looked at Pein for an introduction.

"This is Sakura. Sakura, this is Hidan, Kakuzu and Deidara from left to right," Pein said shortly.

Sakura observed them quickly while Pein introduced them to each other. They were all half-naked. _Yummy goodness, _her conscience said dreamily. Hidan was devilishly handsome; he had slicked back silver hair and light purple eyes. His features were pale and sharp and she wouldn't be surprised if many girls fell for his looks.

Kakuzu was a different story. He was definitely unique-looking due to the stitch-like (scars?) on both sides of his cheeks. His skin was a nice tanned color, his eyes were an eerie green and long, black hair down to his chest.

When she got to Deidara, his face looked sickly pale. A blonde fringe that hid his left eye while the rest of his hair was held up in a ponytail. Clear, blue eyes that reminded Sakura of Naruto's. She believed he looked a little...feminine. Maybe he was gay?

In a matter of seconds, she got all their faces down. She stared at Deidara. _Is he sick or something? _"Hey...um..." she faltered. _How was she supposed to ask him if that was his natural face color or not?_

Deidara shot up from his seat, his eyes looking wild. "Uh...nice meeting you, yeah? Gotta go, see ya!" With that, he ran towards the enclosed area that Sakura came from a while ago.

Sakura frowned in confusion, not knowing what just happened.

Pein muttered, "I will have a talk with him later."

If possible, she was more confused than ever. She had just heard what Pein said to himself and wanted to know what 'having a talk with him later' entailed.

The remaining two men sat there lazily, cooling off from the exercise. Hidan eyeballed her up and down and sneered, "Boss, what the fuck are you doing with her? She's not your usual type. She has pink hair. Looks too fucking prissy to me."

_What? Usual type? Does that mean Pein has other women..._She didn't want to think about that. Sakura glared at Hidan in defense. "Excuse me, who are you calling prissy? You're one to talk. Just look at your gay purple-pink eyes," she scoffed, "You also have gray hair. You must be old as fuck." _This guy is a total dickhead! _

Hidan scowled, "Fuck you, princess bitch!"

"That's enough," Pein's voice boomed, "You will treat her with respect like you treat me."

Hidan's expression didn't change and he didn't bother to hide his disgust. "Why the fuck should I?"

Pein's eyes flashed him a warning and said, "Are you undermining my authority?"

The silver-haired man bowed his head in shame and muttered, "No Boss, I will treat her with respect."

Pein gave a curt reply, "Good."

Sakura's eyes darted between the two. It was clear Pein had some sort of power over these men. She didn't miss the way Deidara (she supposed that was him) called him 'Boss' earlier when she was trying to hide from Pein and failed. She glanced at Kakuzu, who was studying her like a strange, science project.

Kakuzu's eyes gleamed as he asked her, "Do you know your worth?"

She shot him a puzzled expression. "My worth?"

"Yes, how much you cost."

"Um...no?" she said, bewildered.

Pein interrupted their conversation before Kakuzu could get another word in. "Come, Princess. Let me teach you how to throw a shot." He walked over near the basketball hoop with the ball in his hand, waiting for her.

She shook her head no a few times. "Nah, I'm good...really."

He shot her a look that left no room for argument. "Now, Princess."

Her shoulders dropped and she sighed. She dragged her feet slowly, sulking. "I don't wanna, I hate basketball!"

Pein gave a deep laugh in response. "If you can get one shot in, I'll let you go."

She stared at him curiously. He gave her a meaningful look and said, "To clarify, I meant I won't force you to play this anymore." He stepped closer to her, a hand brushing the side of her face. "I'll _never_ let you go," he whispered darkly.

_Weird...anyways, moving on! _She blushed fiercely and moved backwards. "Let's get this over with," she said hastily.

Pein went behind her form, causing her to panic. "What are you doing?"

She felt herself react to his body heat. She noticed that every time they were together, he would always find some way to be near her.

"You need to have the right stance," he gruffly said. He nudged her leg with his foot so she stood correctly. She felt him back away a little as he directed her to bend her knees a little.

"Now position the ball a few inches above your waist, straighten your knees and jump." His voice sounded strained and she wondered why.

She did as he said, releasing the ball from her hands. The ball completely missed the net as it hit the backboard and bounced on the floor.

She pouted at Pein, "See? This sport sucks!"

He smirked at her, folding his arms firmly on his chest. She couldn't help but suck some air in when she saw those muscular arms.

"Try again until you get it."

She grumbled under her breath, mimicking him. "Try again until you get it, he says."

The next twenty shots were unsuccessful and each time she failed, he would repeat the same mantra. Frustrated, she threw the ball behind her without looking.

"I quit!" she shouted.

She heard Pein move and felt him behind her again. She felt nervous for the thousandth time today. "Let me assist you again."

His voice vibrated through her ears, causing pleasant sensations throughout her body. "Stance," he simply said.

She moved her feet apart and bent her knees. She felt him doing the same as well-really, she didn't know how she felt what he was doing but she just did.

His arms went around her shoulders, his hands on top of hers. "Now we jump and shoot," he commanded.

She did as he said. She tried to concentrate on getting the ball in but when you have such a handsome guy behind you, his hands all over you (not really), how could you even focus?

The basketball was going agonizingly slow-at least to Sakura, it was. It skimmed around the hoop a few times before dropping into the net.

She jumped up and down excitedly and cheered. "Yay! I finally got it in!" She beamed at Pein, her boost of happiness not over.

"Good job, Princess." He bent down and kissed her forehead unexpectedly. When he pulled back, Sakura's cheeks were a light pink.

"You okay there, Princess?" he asked humorously.

"Y-yeah..." she stammered.

"Woo! Fucking get it, Boss!" Hidan whistled from his seat.

Kakuzu shook his head at Hidan's stupidity. "It was just a forehead kiss, you idiot. Besides, when has he treated someone like that before?"

"Hm...yeah you're fucking right. All he does is fuck 'em and leave 'em!" Hidan hooted loudly.

Sakura heard Hidan's remark and stared accusingly at Pein.

Pein raised an eyebrow at her and simply said, "It's in the past."

She nodded her head slowly, wary of his intentions. Was that why he wanted to get close to her? To sleep with her...or to have a good fuck, in Hidan's blunt words.

"Believe me, Princess," his eyes were pleading her to understand.

She didn't even know why she cared. She knew this guy for about a week and they're acting like...like they're a couple! She gasped at the realization.

Pein took her gasp as a yes and he approached her. She was about to question on his actions when he engulfed her in a hug.

She faintly heard Hidan and Kakuzu's "Oh shit!" and gasp but all she could focus on was his strong but frantic heartbeat.

"Hear that, Princess? It beats for you, and only you," he murmured.

"But...but you don't even know me!" she objected.

"All in due time," was his vague answer.

She was tired of his secret answers and pushed him away. "No, stop avoiding everything I throw at you. Tell me now."

He eyed her intently before giving a sigh. "If you wish, Princess."

* * *

A/N: HOLY CRAP, PEINSAKU SEXY MOMENTS. What's up with Deidara? Will Pein confess everything? ;O

Hi reviewers, I brought some of the Akatsuki peeps in this chapter for you! As for the Sasori question...I'll keep you guessing. ;)

On another note, I'm sorry it took so long. Final exams kept me busy, and will keep me busy for the next week as well! But fear not, I will update soon enough!

Thanks for reading & reviewing! (and following/favoriting)

-Kai


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for some blood, violence, swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"We're here on my territory and I won't allow you to speak out-of-place to me."_

* * *

Short recap:

She faintly heard Hidan and Kakuzu's "Oh shit!" and gasp but all she could focus on was his strong but frantic heartbeat.

"Hear that, Princess? It beats for you, and only you," he murmured.

"But...but you don't even know me!" she objected.

"All in due time," was his vague answer.

She was tired of his secret answers and pushed him away. "No, stop avoiding everything I throw at you. Tell me now."

He eyed her intently before giving a sigh. "If you wish, Princess."

End recap.

Sakura stared at him skeptically, not believing his words. He raised his eyebrow as if to say, "Well? Get on with it!"

"Really? You're going to reveal everything to me?" Sakura asked dubiously.

"Enough for you to understand. Anymore and you'll be put in a dangerous position," Pein solemnly said.

"Aren't I already in one by witnessing a murder?" she countered.

"Touché."

A silence passed as Sakura was figuring out how to approach him. "So how about this...I ask you a question and you give me an answer, Pein-san?" she proposed.

"If I deem it safe enough to answer," was his reply. "And please, no need for the formality. I'm sure we're passed that by now."

She rolled her eyes and started thinking of the first question that came to mind. "Why did you kill that man, Pein?"

"Because he was a threat," Pein said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"A threat? To me?" She furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding his answer.

It took him a minute before responding. "Yes. To you...and to my gang."

"Wait, what? Your gang?"

He avoided her question and said, "He was a rival and needed to be taken care of."

Sakura knew what he was doing. Dodging her questions again. _Well, not this time! _She gritted her teeth and repeated, "Your gang?"

He let out a sigh, knowing she wasn't going to let this pass by. "I am a gang leader."

"...A gang leader?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Yes."

"A gang leader," she enunciated it slowly to herself.

"Princess, I'm sorry if that was too much for you to handle-"

At this point, Sakura wasn't paying attention to him anymore. All she could think about were the words 'gang' and 'leader'. _What does he even do? Kill people for a living, deal with drugs and guns all day? I don't even know..._

She felt herself being shaken and she looked at him fiercely. She could hear Hidan's crazy muttering to Kakuzu in the background. She took deep breaths to calm herself but that didn't help the next thing she said.

"What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked.

Hidan snickered and Pein winced from her ear-piercing yell. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

His back straightened then, as if realizing he shouldn't have been remorseful at all. He continued, "I gave you a few chances to back out but you insisted on me informing you."

She glared severely at him, jabbing a finger into his rock-hard chest. "Don't you dare blame this on me! You killed a man in front of me-"

"Which could have been avoided if you obeyed Itachi and Tobi-"

"And you keep flirting and coming on to me which tells me that you want to get close to me, and you want to tell me you gave me a chance to back out?" Her voice thundered on the last few words, making him look at the ground shamefully.

"Pein got his ass whooped and whipped!" Hidan tried to say quietly through his laughter. Pein sent him a lethal stare, causing Hidan to be silent.

"Princess, I'm sorr-"

Sakura interrupted him, looking pissed off. "Why the fuck do you keep calling me Princess? Do you have some sort of fetish going on?" she sneered. Contrary to how she expressed herself verbally, on the inside, she was feeling a little awful. Dare she say it: she kind of liked the nickname he bestowed upon her.

His reaction was the opposite of what she expected; he had a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Maybe I do have a fetish."

She gawked at him and was speechless. He took the chance to place one finger under her chin and push it up gently. "Careful there Princess. Wouldn't want to get flies in your mouth now, do we?"

The only thing she could come up with was, "Whatever." She stuck her tongue out at him and his eyes darkened.

He said roughly, "You might want to stick that tongue back in before I do something to it, Princess."

Sakura quickly tucked her tongue back in her mouth and exclaimed, "You are unbelievable!"

He opened his mouth to reply when his cellphone in his pants pocket started ringing loudly, startling her. He answered the call with a short, "Nagato".

Sakura wasn't one to eavesdrop but she was curious this time. Scratch that, anything that involved Pein, she wanted to know. So she tried to listen to the conversation (well, what Pein was saying).

"No, the meeting is to be as scheduled in three hours."

"...He wants the shipment now? What is he trying to play at?"

"At the Kage?"

"Already there? Keep him there. If he tries anything, blow his brains out."

He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket roughly with Sakura's face pale at the end of his phone call.

It seemed as if he forgot she was there and called out to the men who were now texting on their phones. "Hidan, Kakuzu. Head for the Kage and prepare for the goods. Aku wants it immediately and is willing to pay ten-percent more than what is required from him."

Kakuzu didn't look up from his device and said in distaste, "Tch. Only ten-percent? What a fucking cheap-skate."

"Fucking bitch! He needs to learn how to fucking schedule shit ahead of time if he wants it so fucking early. I oughta shoot him in the ass." Hidan smiled evilly at the thought of bloodshed.

"Get going, men. I expect to not see blood on my floors when I arrive there," Pein commanded.

"Yes Boss!" they chorused. They got up from the benches and sprinted towards a small area where it contained four black motorcycles. When they got on their respective vehicles, they took off without a good-bye, running over the poor flowers.

Sakura cleared her throat, wanting to make her presence known again. "Is it illegal if they're not wearing a helmet and a shirt?"

Pein jumped a little, caught off guard. He completely disregarded her and even disclosed private information to her. He shot a small smile at her, although it was tense. "I believe so, but we neglect most rules."

She nodded and shuffled her feet. She didn't know what else to say to him. "Um...so, are you leaving now? To kill people or something?"

He let out a sincere chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous, Princess. We only aim to kill when they deserve it. But yes, I should be leaving."

She nodded again, not knowing what to respond to his proclamation of slaughter. _Sheesh...how did I ever get involved with a bunch of murderers? _

"Would you like to go with me?" he asked coolly.

Her eyes widened. "G-go with you?"

"Yes. But you'd have to be a very good girl, Princess," he said huskily.

"Um...I don't know. I don't think I should? I mean you're the one who said I shouldn't get involved," she started babbling.

"But you are involved now. You became involved since...you saw me kill someone," he said with a small pause.

"You're just trying to get me in deeper into this. I've never done something like this before," she scowled. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her mind was all over the place and she couldn't concentrate on one thing to think about.

"There's a first time for everything." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the remaining motorcycles.

"What kind of motorcycle is this? It looks so...new and expensive," Sakura said in awe.

"A Suzuki SVF 650. These are newest on the market," he said with admiration in his tone.

She gave a hum of agreement. She was never on a motorcycle before. Her father never let her..

"Wear this helmet so you'll be protected," he interrupted her thoughts before her mind could take a trip down memory lane.

"Why aren't you going to wear one?" she asked as she strapped on her helmet. "I look ridiculous."

"I'm a rule breaker, I can do what I want. You on the other hand, look safe and adorable," he tapped on her helmet shield.

"So arrogant," she grumbled.

"Wrap your arms around my waist and hang on tight," he instructed her as if he didn't hear what she just said.

She did as she was told and saw a spare motorcycle near them. "Wait, what about the motorcycle laying by the wall?"

"Deidara will be back for it later," he said dismissively. "Let's go."

Sakura held on tight, enjoying the feel of him. _Ugh, I'm touching him again! Why do we always have to touch each other?...Bad thoughts, bad! _She blushed beneath her helmet, thanking Kami he wasn't able to witness it.

He revved the motorcycle engine a few times and they were off. As Pein drove, Sakura wished she could feel the wind hitting her face. Everything else was a blur and it didn't seem like he was going to slow down anytime soon.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to think about her parents...

"Daddy, why can't you teach me how to drive a motorcycle?" Sakura pouted. She always thought they were cool and adventurous. It was the exact opposite of who she was...it embodied freedom and risk.

"Sweetheart, it won't be safe for you. Do you know how many deaths are caused by these things every year?" he heavily sighed.

"Fine! I'm gonna go ask Mom!" she scowled, stomping off towards her house.

He frowned, knowing he wasn't going to win this time. He went back to meticulously wiping the chopper mirrors with a cloth.

"Mom!" Sakura's loud footsteps echoed around the house.

"Take one more step in those shoes and you'll regret it, Saku!" her mother called out from upstairs.

Sakura paused, stepping out of her flip-flops. She went up the stairs and towards her mother's office-room. "Mom, are you working again? Oh yeah, and Daddy won't teach me how to drive a motorcycle."

"Yes dear, I have some things to deal with today. Some fuc-I mean, _certain _people haven't paid their dues yet. And what's this? He won't teach you? Well, we'll have to change that, won't we?" her mother grinned wickedly.

Sakura nodded her head excitedly. "Yes! You can tell Daddy that he has to teach me or else!"

"No no, dear. Who ever said _he _was going to be teaching you?" The wicked grin broadened, making Sakura's eyes widen.

"Really? You know how to drive one Mom? You are so cool!" Sakura cheered.

"Of course, I have my secrets," she replied. "Speaking of secrets, let's keep it a secret, ne? Your father will kill me," her mother placed a finger in front of her lips, making a hush motion and winked at Sakura.

This was why her parents were so cool no matter how overprotective they may be. Especially her mother. Due to her job, which Sakura was told that she was a debt collector, she wasn't home a lot. But when she was, she tried to make up for it.

_And now I get to know how to drive one! Hell yeah! _She fist-pumped.

"Princess, we're here."

Sakura opened her eyes to the sound of his voice. She released her hold on him and she hopped off the vehicle. She immediately took off her helmet and shook her hair to get some of its volume back.

She noticed Pein watching her with a look she couldn't identify and blushed.

"Here, you can have this back." She held out the helmet to him, waiting for him to take it.

He accepted it without a word and used a helmet lock to secure the helmet. He turned to face her with a serious look. "Princess, before we go in, we need to go over some ground rules."

She groaned, not liking where this was going already. "But I'm not five!" she protested.

His face turned cold and solemn, not appreciating her response. "Rule number one: listen to me at all times. No matter what. I don't care if it sounds ridiculous, you will obey me," he said indifferently.

"What, but-"

"I'm not finished. Rule number two: do not talk back to me. This connects with the first rule; when I give you an order, you are expected to follow and not argue."

She gaped at him furiously. _What the fuck?! Obey him? Just because he's a gang leader doesn't mean he can order me around whenever he wants!_

His tone softened when he spoke, "And lastly, rule number three: do not speak at all. Let me handle things. You got that, Princess?"

"May I talk now?" she asked, irritated.

He nodded his consent. "Go ahead."

"So basically I'm supposed to be a dog and be invisible? Why did you even bring me here?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I suppose I should have been truthful to you from the start but you would not have agreed," he admitted. For once, he wasn't looking at her in the eyes.

She asked warily, "What's my real purpose here then?"

"To act as my escort." He had a blank expression on his face, giving nothing away.

"Your escort as in... your _whore_?" she yelled, her face quickly turning red.

"I didn't wish to go out of my way and search for someone willing. Although many girls would wish to be in your shoes right now," he said heartlessly.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? You could easily just look for a woman in that stupid place!" she shouted, pointing viciously towards the said building.

"Keep your voice down, Princess. We're here on my territory and I won't allow you to speak out-of-place to me," he stated harshly. "Now be a good girl and be quiet...or else."

He grabbed her roughly around the waist, pulling her to his side. She wanted to yell at him some more but fumed silently, shooting glares at anything or anyone she could stare at.

They reached the entrance and Sakura noted that this was a club. There were people lined up waiting to get in and an intimidating bouncer at the front with his arms crossed.

He saw Pein, nodding to him. He stepped aside, letting them pass through but not before giving a leer at Sakura. She glowered at him, sticking her tongue out childishly and turned away with her nose in the air.

It was a little crowded and loud dance music was playing over the stereos. She felt Pein's hand tighten his grip on her hip as they weaved through the sweaty crowds who were dancing. Some people recognized Pein and backed away instantly to give him some space to pass.

They reached one of the corners in the very back of the club with bead curtains hanging from the ceiling. There was a large square table with couches and chairs that surrounded it. A few men were seated on them, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. They noticed Pein and Sakura's arrival when the pair went through the beady curtains.

"Ah, Nagato! Wasn't expecting you this early, ey?" A large, bald-headed, pale-skinned man with small eyes greeted.

"Aku," Pein shortly said. He sat on the couch and looked at Sakura who seemed lost. He patted his lap, looking expectantly at her. She glared at him and shook her head minutely.

"Remember what I said, Princess," he said lowly to her.

She scrunched up her face and hesitated before turning around, plopping herself harshly on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her back against his chest, discretely smelling her pink locks.

"Ah, who's this you have there Nagato? A new bitch?" Aku gave a rambunctious laugh while ogling Sakura maliciously.

Sakura wanted to slap the shit out of him for referring her that way but she remember Pein's voice in her head: _Be a good girl...or else. _Pein's grasp turned rigid as he said coldly, "Let's get on with payment, shall we?"

"Show me the guns first," Aku shot a creepy grin towards him.

Pein snapped his fingers and Hidan showed up in a black suit with sunglasses and two briefcases in his hands. Hidan laid them on the table and unlocked them and from Sakura's point of view she could see many guns lying in there. Her eyes widened, a little frightened from seeing that many firearms.

"The Colt .45's and the Tech-9's," Pein's voice came out businesslike.

"How many of each?" Aku reached for one, examining to see if it was the real deal.

"Sixty each like you asked. Two-hundred thousand upfront if we're not including the ten percent," Pein replied. Aku nodded, still checking out the pistol in his hands.

Pein snapped his fingers again and a hostess came by. Sakura noted the server was dressed in just a tube top and a short skirt.

"Nagato-sama, what would you like today?" she practically purred, leaning over him so he could have a peek at her cleavage. Sakura glared at her, trying to give her a warning to back off.

Pein ignored the hostess and murmured in Sakura's ear, "Would you like anything, Princess?"

Sakura shot a triumphant look at her, to which she received a dirty look back. "Hm...What is there to drink, _Pein_?" she asked. She didn't know why she was so jealous but she couldn't help it. If Pein flirted with her then she might as well stake her claim, right?

The waitress huffed at her familiar way of addressing the handsome man, her patience running thin. "She'll have the passion-fruit cocktail," he dismissed her without giving a glance.

"Right away, Nagato-sama," she flipped her hair and strutted away, swaying her hips. Sakura made a face in disgust. _Is that a butt job? Seriously, nothing about her is even natural! Stupid slut, _she thought angrily.

One of Aku's men licked his lips at the woman who just left and said, "Damn, she has quite an ass."

"You are free to chase after her if you wish," Pein said boredly.

"Mm... I just might take you up on that offer. Why aren't you gonna fuck her?" the man asked bluntly.

Pein smirked and nodded his head towards the girl in his lap, as if it explained everything.

The man grinned knowingly, "Ah...she looks a little too stuck-up for my taste but I'm sure she'd be willing to stick her ass up in the air for you, ey?"

Sakura had enough about the lewd remarks towards her way and staying silent. She said furiously, "Hey you-"

Pein already had a pistol cocked towards the man's direction and this set off a chain of reactions with the other men. All the men had their guns out, pointing in different directions.

"Say one more thing about her and I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Geez man, didn't know you felt so strongly about her, ey..." The man's eyes widened. His reflex wasn't quick enough to take out his own gun, so he was left holding his hands up.

Aku bellowed out over the loud music, "Enough. You'll get your money now, Nagato." All the men except for Pein put their pistols away. Pein lowered his gun to his side. Sakura tried to shrink back against him, causing Pein to whisper in her ear, "Shh."

It was Aku's turn to snap his fingers and one of his men brought briefcases as well and unlocked them, revealing American money. "I know you don't like ta' deal with ryo so I brought some green money for you instead..."

"What is your motive, Aku?" Pein's eyes bored in to Aku's head.

"…I only have two-hundred thousand for you-" he began but was interrupted by Kakuzu who was standing silently throughout the whole exchange.

"You mean to tell us you don't have the twenty-thousand when you demanded for us to prepare these for you earlier than expected?" Kakuzu snarled.

"Twenty-thousand is a lot..." Little beads of sweat started to form on Aku's forehead.

"You're a drug dealer, Aku. Twenty-thousand is nothing." Pein's voice turned cold and calculating.

"Yes but this week's shipment on cocaine came late so-"

_Bang!_

Pein shot him straight in the forehead, blood spurting out from the killing blow. Aku's large, unmoving form crashed on the table. Sakura screamed, frantically trying to get out of Pein's grasp but he wouldn't let her. The loud club music covered the gunshot so nobody but her was panicking.

"Try to kill me and you'll all be dead within seconds," Pein warned Aku's men. They were about to retrieve their guns and stopped at his threat.

"Princess, stop screaming," he commanded Sakura. She shut her mouth and laid limp against his chest, shaking.

"You all wasted my time. Get out of here," he dictated cruelly.

The men shot up from their seats and clumsily ran, trying to escape through the crowds of people.

Kakuzu sighed angrily. "Boss, we still didn't get their twenty thousand. Fuck!"

"We took the leader of Hozuki down. That's enough payment," Pein said. "Clean up, I'm going to take Princess here home."

"Hai, Leader-sama," Hidan and Kakuzu bowed deeply.

Pein lifted her in his arms with Sakura wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his chest. They reached outside of the club and he said softly, "I'm sorry you had to see that again, Princess." His voice turned dark, "But no one fucks with my business."

Sakura's voice came out muffled, "Yeah, whatever...I guess I should get used to it, ey?"

He shook his head although she couldn't see his gesture. "No. Don't ever get used to things like this. You should remain untainted."

"Okay..."

"I also have to apologize for their crude remarks. Many men in this line of business do not respect women."

"I noticed..." she said sarcastically.

"At other times, I may not be able to defend you. I cannot let others outside of my gang know you are not...an escort."

"You know, you can say the word slut. It won't kill you," Sakura said dryly.

A short silence came between them.

"Skip class tomorrow," he demanded suddenly.

She looked up at him with her brow crinkled. "Why?"

"You're going on a date with me."

Her mouth dropped open and she stuttered, "W-what? A date-"

"Yes, a date...I believe every time we have met you haven't had a sense of normalcy. I also would like to get to know you," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura shrugged, defeated, knowing he wouldn't take no for an answer anyways. "Fine."

He set her down when they arrived at where he parked his motorcycle. He handed her his helmet after he unlocked it from the helmet lock and she held it in her hands.

She fiddled with the helmet shield and glanced up at him with her emerald eyes.

Pein felt her gaze on him and he returned the stare. "Yes?"

She casually stated, "You have shit service in your club. Might wanna fix that. I never got my cocktail."

He shook his head and chuckled, giving her a small, unexpected grin. Her heart palpitated and her breath hitched from his smile.

_Oh Pein, what are you doing to me?_

* * *

A/N: Yes, Pein, what are you doing to Sakura?! So the beans are somewhat spilled... I made this chapter wayyy longer than my other chapters, especially since a reviewer requested I make longer chapters. Some bloody action too, yay! ;D Yes, Konan will be in this story...and Deidara will be a sweetheart, don't worry ^.^. And lastly, Sasori and Sakura will have plenty of moments.

Thank you for reading & reviewinggggg! The next update will occur next week! Much love.

-Kai


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for some swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_Is that a proposal, Princess?_

* * *

Short recap:

She fiddled with the helmet shield and glanced up at him with her emerald eyes.

Pein felt her gaze on him and he returned the stare. "Yes?"

She casually stated, "You have shit service in your club. Might wanna fix that. I never got my cocktail."

He shook his head and chuckled, giving her a small grin. Her heart palpitated and her breath hitched from his smile.

_Oh Pein, what are you doing to me?_

End recap.

.

Pein dropped Sakura off at her house but not before planting a soft kiss on her forehead, leaving her blushing hotly. She absentmindedly waved at him when he was about to take off and received a nod in return. She unlocked her door and walked in, setting her keys by her living room table and retrieved her cellphone from her pocket. Her heart dropped when she realized she never got back to Sasuke and Naruto.

She shakily pressed a button, turning on the phone screen. It showed 50 missed calls, 38 voicemails and 75 texts. Her eyes popped out at the outrageous amount. Surprisingly, most of them were from Sasuke and not Naruto. She scrolled down the texts she had gotten from him. The texts were asking-no, demanding to know where she was and why she wasn't waiting for them after their class was over.

She didn't want Sasuke to know she was with Pein for a few hours due to his previous reaction. She thought of an excuse and sent a quick text to him, stating she was busy studying and lost track of time. She sent her phone on vibrate and it immediately pulsated in her hands.

From: Sasukekun

_You're lying._

Her heart beat furiously. How did he know she was lying? Was he stalking her?

_Bzz, bzz._

From: Sasukekun

_I didn't see you in the library and you weren't at home when I knocked._

Sakura had to come up with another excuse, and fast. Her eyes lit up when she thought of a classmate she met earlier.

To: Sasukekun

_Oh Sasuke-kun, you're so silly! I didn't study for hours continuously. I was with someone._

_Bzz, bzz._

From: Sasukekun

_Who? _

To: Sasukekun

_This girl I met in my biology lecture today._

_Bzz, bzz._

From: Sasukekun

_Name?_

Geez, what was this, the Spanish Inquisition? She was becoming irritated at Sasuke's nosiness-which happened very rarely.

_Bzz, bzz._

_Oh Kami, really? Give a girl a minute to breathe, will you..._Sakura looked angrily at her phone.

From: Sasukekun

_Sakura, give me her name._

To: Sasukekun

_If you really want to know...It's Karin. Why are you so interested anyways?_

_Bzz, bzz._

From: Sasukekun

_Hn. Where did you both go?_

Shit. Why did he have to ask that question? Sakura shrugged to herself, not caring anymore.

To: Sasukekun

_I'm going to cook dinner now._

She set the phone down and it vibrated. Glancing at her phone one more time before she went to her kitchen, she saw the words: _This isn't over. _

_Oh Sasuke, ever so melodramatic. _She went to her kitchen, preparing a quick dinner for herself. She finished eating her ramen (Naruto would be so jealous) and walked back out to the living room. Her phone started vibrating and continued to vibrate until she decided she had enough of hearing the sounds. Turning it back on silent, she shuffled upstairs to take a shower.

When she got to the bathroom, she shut the door and stripped off her clothes. She turned on the shower and got in, closing the curtain. She lathered herself with peach-scented body wash, humming a tune to herself. Over the sounds of the water she could hear someone ringing the door bell. She froze for a second, debating if she should cease her shower to answer the door. _Nah, they'll probably leave, _Sakura thought.

After she finished her showering, she stepped out of the bathroom, dried herself off and wrapped herself in a bathrobe. She brushed her teeth and when she was finished, she opened the door and saw Sasuke standing in front of her. She let out a shriek and tried to close the door but his foot shot out, stopping her attempt.

"Sakura." His voice was low and expectant as he stared at her, his eyes travelling over her form.

She fastened her bathrobe and crossed her arms on her chest. "W-what? Sasuke-kun, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you got home safely," he spoke huskily.

She furrowed her brows and nodded slowly. _Since when did he care that much? He also sounds kind of...weird. Can't put my finger on it though, _she pondered.

"I'm staying here for the night," he stated, breaking the silence.

Her mouth dropped at his declaration. She sputtered, "W-why? You can't!"

His eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"Why?" she responded, repeating herself again.

"It's late and you wouldn't want anything happening to me if I walk home, do you?" He gave her a knowing smirk.

She glared at him and huffed, uncrossing her arms and dropping them by her side. Sasuke's eyes dropped to her chest area and he promptly received a smack on the side of his head.

"Sleep on the couch, you pervert!" She stormed past him without waiting for his response and into her room, slamming the door. She quickly locked it so that he couldn't get in. She switched into her pajamas which consisted of a plain white tank top and light-pink shorts with the words "Bite Me" on the back.

She pounced on her king-sized bed, getting herself comfortable. "Stupid Sasuke-kun. I really should remove that key under the stupid plant pot one day," she muttered to herself. "He's also been acting strangely these days. Never seen his feathers look so ruffled." She put a hand to her mouth, trying to stop the giggles.

"Hah, feathers! Duck-ass..."

She heard a knock on the door and a muffled voice. "Sakura, open the door."

"Why? I said you're sleeping on the couch! Or go sleep in the other bedrooms!" she shouted.

"Fine."

She heard the sounds of footsteps moving away and grinned evilly to herself. _Sasuke-kun needs to learn to listen to me!_

_Click._

She tensed, wondering what that sound was. There were a few more clicks, and then the sound of the doorknob turning.

She sat up abruptly and gawked at Sasuke who calmly walked into her room and shut the door.

"Sasuke, can't you learn to take a hint?"

"Hn," he grunted. He made his way over to her, plopping himself on her bed.

"Get out." She took a pillow and started smacking him with it.

He simply rolled over on his side, not facing her.

She realized he wasn't going anywhere and stopped her attack on him. Her glare burned with anger and let out a "hmph".

She turned off the lights and lied back down, covering herself with blankets. "Don't try anything or you're gonna get it, Sasuke-kun."

"Aa," was all he said.

"Stupid pervert," Sakura groused to herself.

"Hn."

"I wasn't talking to you!" she grumbled.

"Hn."

.

The next afternoon, Sakura found herself in a compromising position. Somehow, she rolled over all the way to Sasuke's side and landed on top of him. Her head was on his chest and his arms were wrapped around her waist. She tried to pry off his arms without waking up to no avail. So, she screamed.

Sasuke flinched from the screech as he sleepily opened his eyes, finding the pinkette on top of him. Inwardly, Sakura smiled devillishly. She could work this to her advantage. "Sasuke, you pervert! You're never staying in my house ever again!" she wailed and struggled in his hold.

"Sakura, stop moving... you're being annoying," he said, his voice full of sleep.

"Well you could let me go first!" she shot back.

"What if I don't want to?" he countered.

She blinked owlishly at him, taken aback by his question. She felt his arms loosen and she hopped off the bed, running to the bathroom. She held her hand to her chest. _What the hell was that? Flirting with me? _She hadn't felt feelings like that around him ever since he rejected her two years ago.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" Sakura panted, trying to keep up with his speed walking.

He stopped and gave her an angered look. "What is it, Sakura? I don't have time."

"U-um..." She fiddled with a box filled with chocolates hidden behind her back. "Here!" She all but shoved the box in his hands, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Sasuke-kun," she began shyly. She looked down on the ground and mumbled, "I like you..."

"Not interested," he said curtly, cutting her off.

Her eyes welled with tears and she quivered, "B-but..."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I don't see you that way. I don't like chocolates either." He handed her the chocolates, waiting for her to take them back.

Her hand trembled as she reached for them but she snatched her hand back. "No, keep those stupid chocolates! I don't care what you do with them!" Her tears were flowing freely down her face. She turned and ran, crying all the way home. Her dad was home at the time and he threatened to go after the boy who broke his little girl's heart, but was stopped by Sakura who pleaded him not to.

The memory in Sakura's head ended as she thought sadly, _Oh Daddy, why did you have to go and leave me? _She gave a small, bitter laugh. _So many things have changed since then. I never would have thought I would become close with Sasuke._

She was brought out of her musing when she heard Sasuke say impatiently, "Hurry up, we have to get to school."

"Don't tell me what to do! This is my house!" she shouted.

She quickly did her morning routine. Luckily, the outfit she planned to wear today was in the bathroom so she didn't have to run out and get it. Her stomach dropped when she realized she had a date with Pein. A date! She started panicking. Sasuke was in her house and Sasuke didn't like Pein. She lied to Sasuke last night about Pein. Oh Kami, what was she going to do? She also needed a cute outfit!

She sprinted towards her room where Sasuke was sitting on her bed and opened her closet, ignoring Sasuke's questioning look. She finally found the dress she was looking for. She chose a maroon A-line skirt dress and black strapped sandals.

With the outfit in her hands, she ran back towards the bathroom and switched to the dress. Looking in the mirror, she examined herself and was appeased with her appearance.

_Now...how to get rid of Sasuke? _She contemplated, coming up with different solutions. She rushed downstairs to her phone and texted Naruto.

To: Narutokun

_Sasuke-kun is bugging me! Ask him to pick you up!_

A minute later, she received a response. _Bzz, bzz._

From: Narutokun

_Hai, Sakura-chan!_

"Sasuke-kun!" she called out for him. He showed up on the stairway, assessing her. "Why are you dressed up nicely?"

"Naruto-kun asked you to pick him up," Sakura evaded his question.

"That dobe," he said irritably. He walked downstairs and opened her front door before glancing behind him. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll meet with you guys later, okay?" she said a little too cheerfully.

"Hn." He stared at her suspiciously.

_Phew! Disaster prevented. Now to distract him even more!_

"Did you even brush your teeth?"

"Bathroom downstairs."

"Oh... Wait, with whose toothbrush?"

"Have you forgotten Naruto and I sleeping over at your house constantly?"

"Oh," she repeated dumbly.

She followed him outside and she saw him board on a motorcycle as she gawked at him. "When did you get that?"

"I've always had it." He smirked and revved his bike and drove off, leaving Sakura to snap out of her stupor.

"Where's your helmet, damn it?!" she yelled after him.

"Right here," she heard exhaust sounds of a motorcycle and a deep voice she had come to be familiar with.

She turned to her left and saw Pein. He was wearing the same leather jacket from yesterday except he had on a white ribbed tanktop on and a pair of black, straight-cut jeans along with a pair of classic sneakers. She couldn't help but look up and down at him and give him a cheery smile. _Ooh, he looks so yummy and bad-ass as usual!_

"You're too early. Get out," she complained.

"I see we're eager to start on our date," he said, amused.

"Not really. You never even told me a time, nor asked me for my phone number."

"Is that a proposal, Princess?"

She rolled her eyes. "So anyways, where are we going?" she asked brightly, diverting the subject.

"You wouldn't mind a picnic would you, Princess?"

She raised an eyebrow. "A picnic?"

"I believe a picnic would be the best, viable option to get to know each other," he replied without shame in his voice.

"O-oh, right! Sure!" She nodded her head, willing to go with whatever he had in mind. She added in her head, _Except the violence like yesterday, please! _

"Would you mind holding the basket, Princess? It was quite annoying to carry this around," he queried.

"Sure!" _What was it with her being a parrot today? _She took the basket from him and got on the motorcycle, her hands automatically wrapping around his waist.

He chuckled at her actions. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?" she asked unintelligently.

"Your helmet, Princess," he reminded.

"Oops," she said meekly. She handed the basket for him to hold and quickly put on the helmet before taking it back.

"Let's go!" she demanded enthusiastically.

"Your wish is my command, Princess."

.

They arrived at an empty meadow, filled with pale, green grass and trees letting down their autumn, crispy leaves.

"I'm sorry it isn't much to look at," Pein admitted.

"It's okay, it's fall season anyways," Sakura shrugged. "Where are we?"

"A place near my house," he replied mysteriously.

She let that one go and clapped her hands, beaming at him. "So, what kind of food are we gonna eat?"

"Slow down there, Princess. We haven't even set down the blanket yet."

She felt her cheeks grow hot. "Oops."

Pein retrieved a red and white plaid blanket, causing Sakura to snicker. He looked at her inquisitively and she chortled, "That's such a typical picnic blanket!"

He smirked. "Ah, but the food will change your mind."

When he retrieved their lunches, she wanted to drool at the sight. _Oh, is that tempura? And tuna tataki? And takoyaki and onigiri?! My Kami, this guy definitely knows his food!_

They sat down on the blanket, enjoying the soft breeze passing through occasionally.

Her stomach growled loudly and she blushed. Her hands itched towards the tempura but it was smacked away lightly. She sent a frown towards him, wondering why he did such an action.

"Let me feed you," he requested.

She looked at him flabbergasted. "I-I'm fine! I can feed myself." _Why do I always have to stutter around him?! _

"Let me do it." This time, he commanded assertively. He took a piece of tempura between his finger and placed it in front of Sakura's closed lips.

"Open, Princess. Don't make me do it for you," he teased.

She scrunched her face at him before slowly opening her mouth. He gently nudged the rest of the tempura in her mouth and her bottom lip brushed against his thumb, causing her to pull back swiftly.

His eyes held a hint of desire when she took a chance to stare at him as she chewed on the cuisine. Wanting to break the tension, she asked, "Since you wanted to get to know me, why don't you ask me a question?"

"I recall in saying that I wished for us to get to know _each other_, and not just one of us," he emphasized.

"Okay fine, but you go first," she relented. She reached for the tempura again but only to be smacked away for the second time. She pouted. She didn't need him to feed her, damn it!

He grabbed the tempura and held it to her mouth, staring at her as she chewed. "What is your favorite color?"

She giggled. "Really? The most simple questions?"

He nodded and gestured with his hand, impatiently yearning to learn the answer.

"Hm... it would have to be orange and purple now," she said thoughtfully, trying hard not to blush.

Pein smirked, knowing where she got the colors from. "Then I would have to say pink and green would be mine," he countered.

Her cheeks turned a rosy tint and she opened her mouth, signifying she wanted more tempura. He obediently fed her another piece. "It's your turn, Princess."

"Favorite movie?"

"I don't have the time, so I don't watch them."

She gaped at him and shook her head. "You're missing out."

He simply gave her a rare smile and she blushed... again. "Any boyfriends?"

"Um... only one?" she responded timidly.

"Who was it?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"That's another story for another day."

"Fair enough," he nodded.

"How many girls have you been with?" she blurted out. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked that... too late._

"Would you really like to know the answer, Princess?" He shot her a look she couldn't decipher.

She nodded slowly. _Okay, maybe I really shouldn't have asked that._

"There is one thing you must know, Princess. I don't do relationships," he divulged. Her heart sank but he added, "However, you might be just an exception..." Her heart leapt back in her chest, beating strongly.

"I'm not a saint, Princess. I've slept with many girls," he conceded.

"But how many girls, Pein?" she insisted.

"I can't place an exact number but if you would like me to round it, it would be around 15," he said as he looked away from her.

"...15?" Sakura asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. More or less."

"You...you are such a man whore and slut! You don't have time to watch movies but you have time to sleep with girls?!" she shrieked.

"A man has needs and these women were happy to comply with them," he remarked calmly.

"And you're not even the least bit ashamed," she bit out. "I don't want to be with someone who slept with so many women!"

"Sakura. I did not know you back then and I had the right to sleep with whomever I wanted," he said bluntly.

She threw her hands up in the air. "This... this is so ridiculous! I don't even know what to say anymore." She stood up and growled at him, "You know what? This date is over!"

Ready to storm off, she felt a tug on her hand before she stumbled backward, crashing on to a soft yet hard ground. _But... wait... this ground... it's Pein's lap! _She gave a shrill cry, wanting to get off.

"Stop struggling, Princess. Please let me explain," he pleaded. His grip tightened around her.

"You have 1 minute," she barked out.

"Had I known you back then, Princess... I would have saved myself for you," he implored her to understand.

"I... I don't want to touch your penis knowing it's been with and in so many women." She slapped a hand over her mouth for speaking so vulgarly.

"You want to touch my pen-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"Alright, fine," he conceded. "You want to touch me?" he asked teasingly.

"No! I mean, yes! No! Shut up," she grumbled.

He laughed and Sakura felt the delightful vibrations going through her. "From now on, I won't look at any other," he promised.

"We're not even dating!" she squeaked out.

"Well, aren't we on a date right now?" he murmured.

"I mean, officially. As in... you know, a couple," she fidgeted.

"We can be a couple now," he immediately said.

"No! I barely know you," she fretted, "I need time."

"How much time?" His lips scraped the side of her earlobe, causing her to shiver.

"I don't know... a few months?" she managed to say.

"As you wish, Princess." His tongue flicked out and licked her lobe, tracing the structure.

"H-hey, stop!" She succeeded to escape his grasp, glaring at him. "If we're going to be doing this dating thing, we're not going to move this fast!"

He gave her a look of regret, remembering she was still innocent. "I apologize, my Princess." His facial expression transformed into one of arrogance. "You'll be begging me to touch you soon enough," he taunted.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's finish the food, Mr. I-Can't-Keep-It-In-My-Pants." He raised an eyebrow at her. "That was quite a mouthful."

She went to grab an onigiri and was prepared for Pein's attack on her hand, smacking his away instead. She munched on it and shot him a triumphant look as he stared back with a small, sulky expression on his face.

Sakura sighed. _Maybe this will appease him, _she thought. She grabbed an onigiri and grazed it against his lips and he compliantly bit into it. As she was busy chewing on her own food, she felt something warm and hot sweep against her index finger and she yelped.

"Tongue to yourself, mister!"

"It's so entertaining to tease you," he suggestively implied.

"Hmph."

A simple ringtone blasted throughout the meadow, startling Sakura.

Pein crossly answered the phone.

"Why are you interrupting, Deidara?"

"It's none of your business."

"Why?"

He peeked at Sakura who was staring at him in curiosity.

"Ah."

"We'll be there soon."

He hung up and addressed the pinkette. "We need to leave."

"Why?" She tilted her head adorably. "What about the food?"

"We can finish this later. Someone wants to meet you."

"Is it that Deidara guy? I already met him though!" she protested, not wanting to leave.

"He ran away rather impolitely, if you recall. I need to have a talk with him regardless," he replied brusquely.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Stupid Deidara, ruining my first date! Can't wait to kick his ass!" she muttered to herself.

Pein secretly smiled at her assertion. Yes, he couldn't wait to see her kick his loyal member's behind either.

* * *

A/N: Here's your awaited chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, I just finished my finals! Some SasuSaku and sexy PeinSaku! ;O Oooohh, I wonder about the interaction between Sakura and Deidara?! How did you like this chapter?

I love long reviews, they get me going, so don't worry about stepping boundaries. Feel free to criticize as well :). Sasuke plays a major role in Sakura's life, is all I'm gonna say. **candypop96,** I wrote this chapter for you tonight after you reviewed again!

Thanks for reading & please review, I would like to hear your thoughts :) Hm...do I hear an update in a few days? Maybe ;)

-Kai


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for some swearing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"I can't deal with this amount of betrayal."_

* * *

Short recap:

"We can finish this later. Someone wants to meet you."

"Is it that Deidara guy? I already met him though!" she protested, not wanting to leave.

"He ran away rather impolitely, if you recall. I need to have a talk with him regardless," he replied brusquely.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Stupid Deidara, ruining my first date! Can't wait to kick his ass!" she muttered to herself.

Pein secretly smiled at her assertion. Yes, he couldn't wait to see her kick his loyal member's behind either.

End recap.

.

"Have you ever stepped foot in this city before?"

Sakura was excited although a little nervous from Pein's question. Excited for visiting a new city she couldn't go to due to her overprotective friends and nervous because she lied to Sasuke about meeting up with him and Naruto later. Eventually, Sasuke would know she was hanging out with Pein and come to the conclusion she was dating him as well.

She gazed up at Pein shortly as they were walking before answering his inquiry. "No, I've never been here before. Compared to Konohagakure, Amegakure seems more... tame yet wild at the same time? I don't really know what I'm saying but I hope you know what I mean," she babbled. "It gives off this gloomy and calm look yet it's really busy here with all the people running around and whatnot."

He gave a small chuckle. "Yes, Amegakure is a very active urban area."

"Are there any fun places to go?"

"Depends on your definition of fun," he answered ambiguously.

"What about huge libraries?"

"There are a few libraries that might suit your taste." A small smile threatened to break out on his lips.

"Sorry I'm such a bookworm," she said sheepishly. "I really like books and getting lost in the literature world."

"That is nothing to be ashamed of, Princess. On a similar note, what are you studying in school?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her head with her hand and looked down on the ground. "To be honest, I'm not sure... I've always wanted to be a doctor but I don't know anymore. I'm thinking of psychology instead," she confessed.

He nodded at her reply, "Psychology is a respectable choice as well. You will be competent with either one, that I am sure of."

Her cheeks flamed at his compliment. "Thanks," she uttered, not knowing what else to say.

"If I may pry, why would you not decide to be a doctor?"

She shrugged. "It's stupid. I'm not sure if you want to hear my excuse or not."

"Nonsense. Anything about you is never ludicrous," he said smoothly. "Or would you like to hear me beg?" He gave her a smirk that screamed seduction and desire.

Sakura looked away quickly. This way, she could ignore his blatant attempt at flirting and not stutter like an idiot. "I've always had the dream of wanting to save and help people and being a doctor could help me achieve that. I was foolish for believing that doctors could save _everyone_. They couldn't even save my parents," she muttered the last part softly. "I know it's not their fault but I can't help but tie them in with my parents' deaths. My parents were already dead when they arrived at the hospital..." Her eyes welled up with tears and bit her lip hard from whimpering out loud.

Pein halted in his steps and pulled her in for a hug, his arms wrapping around her tightly. "Hush, Princess. You do not need to say anymore," he comforted in his deep tones.

"Why do I always end up crying in your arms?" she asked, laughing through her tears.

"Because you belong in them," he replied half-jokingly.

"Yeah, sure..." she agreed dubiously.

"There you guys are, yeah? Took you long enough!"

Sakura blinked away her tears and saw Deidara walking towards them. She wiped away her tears quickly, wishing uselessly for her red nose to go away. She was aware Pein kept his arms around her waist, who didn't bother to move in order to hide the intimate gesture.

Deidara's eyes narrowed in on Pein's hands, sending Pein a cautioning look to which he received a passive stare in return. He turned his view to Sakura, giving her a bashful grin and scratched his head. "Sakura-san, was it? Actually, can I call you Sakura-chan? Sorry for running away earlier. I had things to do, yeah..."

She returned a nonchalant smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, that's fine and apology accepted. And here I thought you were running away because I smelled really bad."

Deidara let out a loud, childish laugh. Sakura was instantly reminded of Naruto. Not only were his looks similar to Naruto's but his laughter as well. She knew she would get along greatly with him.

"Hm... on the contrary, Princess... I believe your scent will always be appealing to me," Pein bent forward to murmur lowly in her ear. He stood up straight again, his facial expression schooled into a blank, giving no indication he had whispered to her moments before.

Sakura couldn't help but blush at once, causing Deidara to become suspicious of her reaction. "Why are you blushing Sakura-chan?"

"It's just getting really hot in here, that's all," she lied, embarrassment now flooding her cheeks.

Deidara nodded and his face brightened, remembering what he intended to say. "Oh! Let's go in, yeah? I have someone I think you would want to see."

"Go in?" Sakura's face turned into one of confusion and question marks.

"Don't you see what you're standing in front of? Silly Sakura-chan!"

She blinked a few times, before staring at the appeared-out-of-nowhere-building. It was a small, simple, pained-black cabin except for the fact that there was a golden, plated sign over the door that said in cursive letters, "Akatsuki".

Her first reaction was her face going pale. She remembered the threatening note she received in school the other day about someone or something named Akatsuki. She stammered nervously to Pein, "I never asked... what's your gang name?"

"Akatsuki."

She said faintly, "Oh. That's nice..."

"What's wrong, Princess? You don't look well." He looked at her critically in concern, pressing his hand on her forehead.

"Oh! It's nothing. So this is your... hangout place? It's so small. Let's just go in," she tried to say without a waver in her voice. She smiled at him as well, hoping it was convincing enough.

"Everyone chooses to believe that when judging from the outside," Pein's lips twitched minutely.

Deidara witnessed the moment between the two, his eyes narrowed again before he relaxed them and widened his eyes. "You heard the lady! Let's go, yeah!" Without waiting for a response from either of the two, he linked arms with Sakura, pulling her with him.

She shot Pein a bewildered look, to which he only shrugged his shoulders to. He followed them behind calmly, his hands in his pockets.

They entered the cabin, to which its shabby look on the exterior of the building did not compare to its extraordinary interior and surroundings. Sakura couldn't help but stare in awe. How was it even possible that this place was huge on the inside? Not to mention there was a large plasma screen TV, couches, a pool table and everything else that seemed to make it a home.

"Wow," was all she said.

"We have more, but this is just what we show the guests, yeah," Deidara smirked mischievously.

"Deidara, I need a word with you," Pein ordered.

Deidara gulped, anticipating what was going to happen. "Sakura-chan, do whatever you want, yeah?"

Sakura nodded, already knowing Pein intended to have his talk with him. She decided to walk around and see if there was more to this "house". She found a hallway not too far out and spotted a shadow from around the corner that seemed to come alive.

She swallowed out of fear, wondering if it was a figment of her imagination or if it was real. Her wonderment was answered when she saw someone she hasn't seen in years.

Both stared at each other in shock and surprise before gleefulness flitted across the mysterious man's features. "Chibi-chan?"

"Kisa-kun!" Sakura shouted in astonishment. At her shout, it drew the attention of Deidara and Pein, who were immersed in their secretive discussion.

"Princess, what's wrong?"

"Sakura-chan, what's the matter, yeah?"

Pein and Deidara inquired at the same time, causing both men to raise an eyebrow at each other before turning their gaze back on the pinkette.

"Oh, I was just really surprised, that's all..." Sakura trailed off, her eyes wide and unblinking. She couldn't believe he was here. In a gang hideout of all places. It seemed like he didn't age, especially not with his navy blue spiked hair, round, beady eyes and intimidating sharp grin that showed off his edgy teeth. Not to mention he attained three pairs of tattoos resembling small slits for gills on both sides of his cheeks. Said something about "in order to fish, you have to be a fish". She never understood his motto but whatever floats his boat, right?

She took in his tall stature but it seemed he grew even taller if possible, towering over her than she last recalled.

"Whatcha doing here, Chibi?"

"She's with me," Pein casually inserted.

Kisame looked at Pein in surprise and curiosity. "How do you know this little girl right here?"

"Hey, I'm not little anymore!" Sakura butt in, pouting at Kisame. "You're just old."

He feigned as if he was having a heart attack. "Chibi, you wound me! I'm not old at all."

She crossed her arms, not buying his act. She pursed her lips at him, not looking amused. "You were my 'babysitter' when Mom and Dad were away on business trips... eight years ago."

Deidara's eyes popped open in shock. He blurted, "Kisame, you're really old, yeah!"

Kisame growled at him, not taking the outburst lightly. "For the last time, I'm not old!... I'm only twenty-six." He mimicked Sakura's action, crossing his arms and glowered at her. "You, missy, need a lesson and maybe a spanking."

Sakura's cheeks flamed in mortification, not wanting to relive one of the most embarrassing moments in her childhood years.

"The only person she shall receive a spanking from is me," Pein cut in smoothly.

Her mouth dropped open and gawked at his declaration. "W-what, you pervert!"

Kisame grinned frighteningly towards Pein. "You might be my boss but I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you hurt her."

"Of course not, Kisame. The only thing she should ever feel with me is pleasure."

Kisame's eyes narrowed warningly as he sized Pein up. "I hope you're not meaning sex. Chibi is too innocent for that," he spat out.

Pein's mouth tightened for a second before he replied coolly, "That is up to Sakura's decision."

"You-"

"Hello! Stop talking like I'm not here!" Sakura interrupted Kisame from shooting expletives at Pein. She knew how Kisame could get overprotective. He took his babysitter role way too seriously sometimes. He was like the older brother she wished she had.

"I'm here too, yeah! This is way too weird, Sakura-chan. You have so many connections in the Akatsuki," Deidara said, a hidden meaning lurking beneath his words.

Sakura's face crumpled into confusion. "What are you talking about? I only met Pein at my university and Kisame was my babysitter."

"You'll see. I have someone I would like to introduce you to, Sakura-chan. Would you mind waiting for a minute, yeah?"

"Sure?" Her reply came out more like a question, wondering who he wanted her to meet so bad.

Deidara rushed down the hallway and the sounds of opening and slamming of doors along with hushed voices was heard.

True to his word, he came back where the three were standing in silence - well, Kisame was sulking in the corner and glaring at Pein, Pein only had eyes for Sakura and Sakura was staring blankly into space, waiting patiently.

"Sakura-chan, here he is!"

She snapped out of her daydreaming and looked over to the mystery person. She sucked in air loudly when she saw who he was and clumsily backed away, with Pein right behind to catch her if she fell.

"It can't be..."

"Hana," Sakura heard him say softly.

"No, you can't be here. I hate you!" She started to cry loudly, tears flowing down her face, not caring who heard her.

"But I am here. I'm here now," the man insisted, still speaking in soft tones.

"No. You're not here because you left me." She gave a wild, menacing glare that could make a man pee his pants on the receiving end of it. She hissed out, "Sasori-_nii_."

"Hana..."

"You don't deserve to call me that anymore, dear brother," she sneered, her personality taking a complete 360. "In fact, I don't believe I should call you _nii-chan _anymore."

He sighed, blowing his crimson red fringe that covered his right eye. "Sakura, please, let me explain." His dark brown eyes pleaded her to listen, to understand.

She looked away from him then, not being able to withstand the expression on his face. "No, I need time. You can't just show up out of nowhere and expect me to be forgiving!" She whirled her head around and gave the evil eye to Deidara. "How could you? Did you know everything? _Do _you know everything?"

Deidara looked panic stricken with guilt splayed across his face. He looked down on the ground with shame and mumbled, "Yes."

She exhaled loudly before inhaling slowly.

_Fucking shit! Does Pein and Kisame know too, then? I can't deal with this amount of betrayal..._

Not looking at Pein or Kisame, she trembled in anger and she asked slowly, "Did you both know as well?"

Kisame's answer was an ashamed grunt while Pein's reply was a curt "No". Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. More anger. Confusion. Confusion on why Pein's answer mattered to her the most, when she barely scratched the surface of getting to know him. But most of all, relief. Relief that Pein didn't know.

"I want to go home," she commanded..

"Hana, let me-"

"I will bring her home," Pein cut in authoritatively.

Sasori's hands clenched into fists, staring suspiciously at Pein. "What are you doing with my sister?"

Pein ignored his question and instead instructed, "We will have a discussion on why your file is missing out on crucial information."

"With all due respect, Leader-"

"_Pein,_ I want to go home now," Sakura whined, stepping over to Pein, tugging on his jacket sleeve. She needed to act like a brat. She needed to do this or she'll never get out at this rate. She needed to get out of there and just breathe. Plus, she was trying really hard to keep that blush down from speaking his name so intimately.

Pein looked at her with barely concealed amusement and nodded. "As you wish, Princess." He placed an arm around her waist and stared at Sasori in the eye, challenging him.

Sasori stepped forward but was stopped by Deidara's arm. He said snidely, "What kind of nickname is Princess?"

"Shut up. I happen to like it," Sakura replied indignantly, not bothering to glance at him. She gave the signal for Pein to start walking and they exited the house without another word.

They reached outside with Sakura wanting to explore the city. She didn't want to go back home yet and be alone. They walked silently with Sakura content in admiring the busy street life. Pein still maintained his arm around her waist and Sakura wasn't planning on removing it if he wasn't going to, either.

"Would you like to eat somewhere?" Pein inquired quietly.

"We didn't finish the picnic food..." she grumbled back.

He laughed softly. "We will have plenty of time to resume our picnic date."

"But the food is sitting there! In your... hideout place thingy!" Sakura insisted.

He raised an eyebrow, a laugh threatening to break out again. "Hideout place thingy?"

She nodded quickly and started to babble, "Yeah, well that's where you and your gang members hang out right? Well I guess it's not really a thingy, so I guess you could remove the word 'thingy' out and all you'll have left is hideout place, you know?"

"Princess, you are cute."

Not expecting that reply, she blushed like a ripe cherry and said, "Excuse me? I'm talking about hideout places and you're not even listening to me!" She turned away with her nose in the air, trying to uphold the image of being a pretentious person.

"You can't hide your nose from me," he said, amused. He proceeded to reach around her head, tapping her nose with his finger.

"Hey!"

He let out a deep, genuine laugh for the first time. It sounded melodious to Sakura's ears and she desperately wanted to hear it again.

"You should laugh more, you know," Sakura shyly stated.

Pein's laughter died down, his voice turning grave. "My job doesn't give me something to laugh about, Princess."

"'Cause you kill people?" Sakura tried to whisper in his ear, but not tall enough to reach his height.

"Yes. But you give me happiness," Pein offhandedly responded.

"Oh. But you don't even know-" Regardless of what she just said, Sakura felt giddy at his confession.

"We have all the time in the world to get to know each other," he cut her off effortlessly.

_He's so romantic without even trying to be! Ahhhh! Pein, I love- NO. Let's not go there, okay Sakura? Too soon. WAY TOO SOON._

"Yes, we do," she agreed fervently.

"Shall we dine in a fine restaurant, my Princess?" Pein asked in a jesting manner.

"Only if there's yummy tempura!"

"There should be 'yummy tempura' in the restaurant I plan to take you to as you eloquently put it, Princess."

"Yeah, okay, whatever, _Prince,_" Sakura said teasingly.

"I'm your Prince?" Pein asked, his interest heightened at the nickname.

"Maybe... well if you want me to demote you, I guess you could be my knight in shining armor. And because you sound so gentlemanly all the time even though you're a gang leader. Stop it!"

"I believe Prince was a better suited title for me. And if you wish... let's chow down some food?"

"Okay, stop it. Go back to being a gentleman."

"Yes, Princess."

* * *

A/N: **Some vocab if you're confused: ****Hana - flower, nii-chan - brother**

Sorry I took so long in writing this...school was being very stressful to me. But now, I'm free! ;D

So, what did you guys think? One of my reviewers guessed correctly on Sasori's relationship with Sakura! ;O Kisame has been introduced into the story as a brother figure, wootwoot! And some Pein romance and of course, some of his pervertedness. Oh right, no asskicking from Sakura to Deidara, unfortunately. :( Oh well, he's too sweet to be kicked in the butt anyways xD!

Thanks for reading & reviewing! (Please review, I would like to hear your thoughts, good or bad).

I'll see you soon!

-Kai


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary: **She always thought bad boys were cool, but this takes it to the extreme. "What do you mean you're a gang leader?" Sakura shrieked. "I had to let you know, Sakura. You're more involved than you think you are," Pein said regretfully.

**Warning: **Rated M for some swearing and pervertedness.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

_"Don't you remember me?"_

* * *

Short recap:

"Yeah, okay, whatever, _Prince,_" Sakura said teasingly.

"I'm your Prince?" Pein asked, his interest heightened at the nickname.

"Maybe... well if you want me to demote you, I guess you could be my knight in shining armor. And because you sound so gentlemanly... all the time even though you're a gang leader. Stop it!"

"I believe Prince was a better suited title for me. And if you wish... let's chow down some food?"

"Okay, stop it. Go back to being a gentleman."

"Yes, Princess."

End recap.

.

It was now late December. A few months had passed by smoothly with no unfortunate incidents. Sakura continued to date Pein and formed close friendships with most of his gang members, surprisingly. She also continued to come up with excuses about Pein to Sasuke, who was becoming increasingly suspicious as the days flew by. Her brother, Sasori persisted on trying to gain a chance to talk with her with no luck.

Sakura refused to skip class again for Pein but she made up for it by spending her free time with him. She genuinely enjoyed the time she spent with him, even though he was a pain in the ass sometimes. Ever the demanding one, Pein insisted they go on plenty of dates - some of which Sakura demanded that they go see a movie as he had never seen one before. She found out plenty of information on his life before he met her. It was intriguing, to say the least.

Dating Pein was tiring... sometimes. He was a pervert while she was not... most of the time, at least. She had to slap his wandering hands from coming too close to certain parts of her body several times. They haven't even _kissed _yet unless you count the ones on the cheeks. She knew he was becoming impatient although he chose not to show it. Although he tended to roam with his hands quite often, she knew he wouldn't pass any boundary and would wait -as restless as he was- for her to make the first move.

She thought back on her first movie date with Pein.

.

When Pein was given the choice to decide on a movie, he just had to choose a scary one. Sakura scoffed and said, "Scary movies are not even scary at all!"

"We'll see about that, Princess," his lips lifting into a small smirk.

They entered the movie theatre after buying (actually, Pein was the one who paid) some snacks to munch on later. The couple settled on the very back of the theatre, with Sakura wanting to see the whole screen from afar. They sat on comfy seats. Pein moved the armrest up and back and he lightly tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. When she looked at him, he patted his lap.

"Why can't we just sit on separate seats?" Sakura whispered agitatedly.

He merely raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes gesturing to his lap. For some reason, he always wanted her on his lap. She huffed and got up from her seat, plopping on his lap rather harshly.

Pein winced from the contact but wrapped his arms around her waist. "That was too severe, Princess. My manhood is not used to taking damage from you yet." He leaned forward and aimed for her earlobe, scraping the bare edge lightly with his teeth. Sakura sucked in an audible breath, not knowing what to do or say.

"As retribution, you should heal it," he whispered sexily in her ear, his voice dripping with barely-contained lust and warmth.

"Pein..." Sakura started to say shakily.

"You sound quite enticing when you speak of my name, Sa-ku-ra," he practically purred.

_Whoa. Hold up. Was this the first time he called me by my name? Hot damn... _Sakura shook her head, waking herself up from a self-induced daze. She gathered her composure and said sternly, "The movie is going to start soon."

As if on cue, the lights dimmed and chatter from others nearby died down. Trailers from other movies commenced playing and Sakura leaned on Pein's chest and started munching on her popcorn. She started squirming slowly as to not attract attention from the man behind her, in order to get comfortable. It didn't work as he grunted, a sign letting her know he was possibly, most likely getting turned on from the action. She immediately stopped and felt her cheeks flame, thankful for the darkness.

About ten minutes into the film, she felt the bottom edge of her shirt being toyed with. Inwardly shrugging away at the action she deemed innocent, she returned her focus on the movie.

"Help! Someone help me! Is someone there? Please, what's going on?" the main character frantically said to an empty, dark room.

_Hm... something's tickling me, _Sakura faintly noted.

"Please, I didn't do anything wrong! If it's money I have a lot of it!" This time, the man desperately banged on the locked, rusty door.

Something moved in the shadows and hissed, catching the man's attention. The man slowly turned around, eyes wildly searching for the culprit. His eyes widened when something shot out from the darkness and deeply bit off his ankle, causing him to scream loudly-

Sakura jumped from the bare contact Pein's hand made with her stomach. He lightly chuckled, his warm breath delicately hitting her neck. His hand inched higher, softly massaging the skin as he went with a target in mind. Before he reached his destination, she grabbed his hand as a warning for him to control himself.

"Stop it!" she whispered furiously, "Pay attention to the movie!"

"Oh but I am, Princess. You are my movie. The expression and actions you perform are enough to be classified as entertaining." He nuzzled her neck before planting a small kiss, causing Sakura to shiver.

.

_He really is a pervert. For Kami's sake, he had sex with so many other women and here I am, denying him anything, _Sakura continued to think. It was a miracle he was still with her. She just had to grow some balls and kiss him.

Christmas was approaching in two days and she didn't know what to give Pein. After some thinking, Sakura came up with the idea of initiating a kiss with him. Their first kiss! To be honest, she was nervous. He was just so... handsome and dangerous and she was just there. Not that she wasn't a beauty but she couldn't help but feel intimidated by his presence at times, especially when he imposed his authoritative tone on her when she refused to do something.

Sakura was relieved from her musing by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

_That must be Pein!_

She eagerly ran downstairs to open the door and saw him standing there, looking handsome as always with his impressive piercings.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hello, Princess. Do I not get a kiss?" he asked, amused at her bashfulness.

_Speaking of kisses..._

She stood on her tiptoes and reached for the left side of his pale cheek, her lips softly touching the intended target which lingered for a few seconds before she pulled back. She could taste his usual masculine smell on her tongue which consisted of car grease, old paper and a hint of cologne.

"Where are we going tonight?" she asked.

"Would you like to relax at the Akatsuki?"

Sakura bit her lip, thinking of her answer before replying, "Is Sasori going to be there?"

"He won't get in our way," he immediately appeased her.

She shrugged, nodding her head. "Sure, why not?"

They did the usual safety procedure before riding off on the motorbike, heading for the Akatsuki lair.

.

When they arrived at the small, black cabin, Deidara was there to greet them. "Boss, Sakura-chan! Hey, didn't expect to see you here, yeah!"

Sakura instantly scoped the area for her _brother_, her tense form relaxing when there was no sign of red hair or anybody else, for that matter. She turned to Deidara and asked cutely, "Ne, ne, Deidara-kun, remember you said there was more to this place here. Can you show me now?"

Deidara's face perked up excitedly before nodding a few times. "Hai, Sakura-chan! Just press this button over here!" He grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her over to an ominous painting of a dark background with red clouds.

Pein stepped forward and growled -literally _growled!_- at the action, his eyes shooting Deidara's hand a death stare, causing Deidara to drop his grip. Deidara sheepishly laughed and Sakura rolled her eyes, used to his possessiveness by now.

"Anyways..." Sakura started to say, looking over at Deidara for more information about the so-called button.

"It's under the painting, Sakura-chan!"

She lifted the painting and spotted a small, black button, not hesitating to press it.

What happened next occurred so fast she almost didn't see the room expanding, furniture changing into tables with guns of all sizes laying upon them, walls lined up with more pistols, the pool table turning into a bar filled with plenty of alcohol bottles, or most of all, the television into a holographic GPS tracking map.

She blinked a few times before saying in awe, "Whoa..."

Pein walked over to her and placed his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply before murmuring, "I could have shown you this months before had you asked, Princess."

"Well I didn't know if you were open to showing me your secrets and whatnot," she said in her defense.

"I believe you were informed concerning my past, the very least."

Even if he didn't intentionally intend to make her feel guilty, she felt the guilt nonetheless. Sakura knew she hasn't revealed much of her past when he was willing to tell her about his. Back in those days, trust was hard, and it only became increasingly difficult after losing those precious to her. "Sorry... Pein-kun," she whispered the last part so only he could hear. He had told her once that he liked the honorific on his name although they were much more close than that.

"I was not trying to make you feel remorseful, Princess," his voice softened in a tone that was reserved just for her.

"I know, I know. I promise I'll tell you everything soon."

Pein pressed a kiss on her forehead, silently agreeing to her promise.

"You guys are so cute! Boss, you should find me a girl like Sakura-chan, yeah?" Deidara was staring at them fondly and wiggled his eyebrows naughtily.

Pein smirked arrogantly before saying, "I wish you luck, Deidara. There is no one that comes close to her."

Deidara deflated like a balloon running out of air and whined, "Don't crush my dreams, yeah!"

Sakura laughed at the two. She loved seeing Pein interact with his friends even if he was their leader. He was the one who brought control, power and money under the Akatsuki's name. Although he liked to impose his authority often, he showed his friendly side only to his loyal members.

The backdoor suddenly burst open _-Wait, what? There's a backdoor in this house?!-_ to reveal two bloody figures standing there, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"**Hello, Leader. We are back from our excursion**," said one of the men, his voice a little raspy and dark.

Sakura eep-ed at the sight of the two covered in blood, causing the two men to stare at her.

"My Sakura-chan!" The man with long, spiked black hair attempted to pounce on her but failed and stumbled. Pein had grabbed her to avoid the incoming tackle, giving the mysterious man a piercing look.

"What the.." Sakura squinted in trying to remember where she had seen this face before. He had heterochromia, meaning two different colored eyes. One red, one purple. It was very odd, but his fringe covered his red from letting others notice unless one looked really hard for it. His features were very handsome and sculpted, reminding Sakura of a certain Uchiha. His looks could almost come close to Pein- but of course, Pein was the best-looking guy in the world, in her opinion.

"Don't you remember me? I'm your Mada-chan!" he stated happily.

She blinked before saying, "Oh... the pervert of all time, Madara."

Said man slowly sank to the floor, gripping his hair with his hands. "I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert..."

Pein raised an eyebrow at the spectacle and cleared his throat. "How do you know him, Princess?"

"Princess?" Madara's head shot up, staring accusingly into Pein's eyes.

"**Sakura-hime, I hope you did not forget about me as well,**" the other man cut in. Although his hair was stained with red, it was a light, grassy green. His facial features were bichromatic, the left half of his face in white and the right half in black. His cat-shaped yellow eyes gave off a mysterious, gleaming look. He was quiet in observing the situation between the three.

"Sakura-hime?" Pein and Deidara asked at the same time.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all..." Sakura rubbed her head sheepishly. "Okay, so first of all, Madara is a pervert, enough said. Second of all, Zetsu-chan, why the hell did you paint your face black and white? Third of all, they were my bodyguards... and sort of babysitters years ago when Mom and Dad weren't home. And lastly, Zetsu believed I looked like a princess with my pink hair."

"For the last time, I'm not a pervert!" Madara shouted in defense.

"**To show I am different**," Zetsu answered her question.

"Sakura-chan, why did you need so many babysitters, yeah? Were you a problem child?" Deidara joked.

"Not really. Kisame was my usual babysitter. My parents were overprotective and hired two bodyguards for me. I guess being the debt collectors they are, they're worried about those that have no money to pay back may come after me instead. Besides, if I'm gonna have two people looking after me 24/7, I might as well get to know them, right?"

Deidara nodded sagely, running his hands over his invisible beard. "Yes, yes, I see now, yeah." Sakura burst out laughing at all the yeses in his response. "But why is Madara a pervert?" Deidara asked.

"He's also a pedophile. He liked to sniff my panties when I was at school," Sakura said bluntly, causing one set of eyes to widen and another set of eyes glaring.

"W-what, I would never do that to my dear Sakura-chan!" Madara spluttered.

"Don't lie to me, Madara-_hentai_! Zetsu-chan told me," she countered petulantly.

"Quite disgusting, I must say. I am most loyal to Sakura-hime," Zetsu rasped. He muttered, arguing to himself, "**But maybe I shouldn't have said anything and joined him instead.**" "No, you would've gotten Sakura-hime mad at us!"

"At least I haven't forced a kiss on Sakura-chan!" Madara smiled wickedly.

Sakura's cheeks flared hotly, glaring angrily at Madara. "For the last time, he didn't force me! I asked him to!"

"What are you speaking of, Princess?" Pein cut in before anyone else could say anything. Unnoticed to Sakura, he was brooding in jealousy, wondering how on this planet she knew his friends, when she was supposed to be _his,_ alone.

"Nothing!" she said quickly, "Maybe we should do something else like clean them up? They're all bloody," she tried to change the subject.

"Zetsu mouth-raped Sakura-chan! Zetsu mouth-raped Sakura-chan!" Madara chanted in a tune, now jumping up and down.

Pein stiffened and bit out angrily, "What?"

Sakura waved her hands, shaking her head no frantically. "He didn't mouth-rape me, as what the pervert calls it! I swear!"

"Zetsu mouth-raped Sakura-chan! Zetsu mou-" Sakura went over to Madara and smacked him on the back of his head really hard, effectively silencing him.

"As I was saying..." Sakura grit her teeth, fuming. "It happened years ago. I was 16 and wanted my first kiss. Madara was too old so he wasn't an option and Zetsu was only three years older than me, so I asked him if he could show me how to kiss. It was nothing though, just a thing in the past," she said quickly, looking at Pein pleadingly. _He definitely doesn't need to know I was crushing on Zetsu at the time!_

"**Sakura-hime, I'm hurt. It was nothing?**" Zetsu mocked.

Sakura sighed, exasperated. She put her hands up in the air and exclaimed, "I can't even please anyone these days, sheesh!"

"I am kidding, Sakura-hime. Although it was wonderful," he smiled mischievously.

Pein was becoming stiffer by the second, not appreciating the comments. He said monotonously, "I see."

Sakura felt horrible for making him feel this way and rolled her eyes. _Oh, for Heaven's sake. Screw the two days! Let's just do it! _

A burst of confidence came from within and she gripped the back of Pein's head with her hand tightly, making him lean slightly forward and causing him to look curiously at her. She closed her eyes, quickly pressing her lips on to his and faintly heard whoops and shouts of indignation. But all she could fully hear was how loud her heart was beating and feel the nervousness in her stomach and how utterly soft his lips were. She moved her lips tortuously slow, igniting a passionate response from him. He was frozen in shock, not moving until he snapped out of it, promptly shutting his eyes and wrapped an arm around her waist and a hand placed on her neck.

He returned the kiss with more fervor, his lips moved lovingly over hers and his tongue lightly ran across her bottom lip, coaxing her mouth to open. When she complied, he slipped his tongue inside and met hers, causing her to gasp at the sensation. His tongue gently caressed hers before it quickly turned into a hot battle for domination, with Pein winning.

At this point, Sakura was breathing heavily through her nose and trying not to faint from intense kissing. It was only his grip on her waist that kept her from falling down. Pein sensed she was at her limit and ardently explored her mouth one last time before nipping and sucking on her lower lip, making Sakura lowly moan.

She opened her eyes, looking dazedly at Pein as he pulled back from her lips, a small amount of saliva glistening on both of their lips. He licked his own lips before he said deeply, "Finally."

Madara chose to break the moment as he dramatically wailed, "Pein-chan took her innocence away!" He went back on the floor and rolled around like a lunatic.

Pein's eyebrow twitched. "Pein-chan?"

"Pein-chan... I like it," Sakura said dreamily, still lost in her own world.

"**How unfair of you, Leader, for you to taste her essence**," Zetsu eerily stated.

"You've had your share Zetsu. If anything, I should be the one to plant my calloused lips against her soft, beautiful ones..." Madara crossed his hands together, spacing out.

Pein narrowed his eyes and said demandingly, "You will cease reflecting thoughts about her. All of you. This is an order."

Madara pouted and whined, "Fine, ruin all the fun why don't you!"

Deidara rolled his eyes and agreed with Madara. "Don't worry, he gets even more possessive of her, yeah."

Pein directed his attention to Sakura, who was still putty in his arms. He lightly shook her and asked, "Are you alright, Princess?"

No response from Sakura.

_Aww yeah, his lips and tongue... His tongue was so good and his lips were so amazing... Do it again..._

"Madara's sniffing your panties again," Zetsu helpfully said. Sakura immediately shook out of her daze and looked for Madara and glared at him, who cowered from the intensity of the look.

Then something strange happened.

Two rapid knocks were heard from the ground before Deidara swiftly returned three stomps of his own. Sakura stared at Deidara with a perplexed look, to which he quickly explained, "Most of our base is underground, yeah. We have a partner system and have a knocking code that's like a signal. If our partner is down there and wants to come upstairs, the other person has to respond, signaling them that it's safe."

"You have more territoryx?!" Sakura gaped.

"I own Amegakure," Pein input smoothly.

"What-"

A trapdoor sprung open and a handful of red hair popped out. Sasori pulled himself up and stood up, staring directly at Sakura. Her eyes widened, ready to bolt.

"Sakura, wait please! Just give me one chance to explain myself," Sasori said quickly and desperately.

"No-"

"I beg of you, Sakura. I'll tell you everything you want to know. After that, you don't even have to speak with me anymore," he insisted.

The offer was too good to resist. The past times he tried to speak with her was shot down by Pein, leaving Sakura no choice but to listen to her boyfriend.

Pein said with an edge to his voice, "Sasori, have I not ordered you multiple times to stay away-"

"You'll answer my every question?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"Princess, I don't think you should-"

"Pein, this is my choice and even if I may not like it now, he's still my brother," Sakura scowled at her lover. It was time she made her own decision concerning her family member.

"Fine. So be it," Pein's voice came out strained.

Zetsu abruptly said, "Leader, we have a problem." He pointed to the holographic map. Many red dots sported across the screen, indicating enemies.

"Seems like the Sound don't approve of listening" Pein calmly replied.

"Time to explode people. Finally, yeah!" Deidara cheered.

* * *

A/N: Sorry guys, here is your awaited chapter~ I would like to hear your thoughts on this :)

- Kai


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